On November 7, 2018 the NRA made a very poor decision to tweet that doctors should stay in their lane when it comes to talking about gun control. Usually when topics of gun control come up there is normally sides taken in support of the issue and sides taken against the issue. This tweet however did not gain much support of any and received quite a lot of backlash from the medical community. Doctors took to twitter to share scenes of blood covered operating rooms, blood covered scrubs, blood covered shoes, and even organs in some cases. Although some people defended gun rights, no one was quick to defend the NRA or what they had actually said about wanting doctors to stay in their lanes. Arguably, doctors are on the front lines of seeing what gun violence can do and it is their lane to speak freely in.
This is the original tweet by the NRA that sparked the trending hashtags #Stayinmylane #stayinyourlane
Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane. Half of the articles in Annals of Internal Medicine are pushing for gun control. Most upsetting, however, the medical community seems to have consulted NO ONE but themselves. https://t.co/oCR3uiLtS7
— NRA (@NRA) November 7, 2018
What t’ hell happened to y’all? Hunter and gun safety when I was growing up 40 years ago, and today you’re telling docs to shut up about gun-driven carnage?! That’s why, as a gun owner, I support @Everytown
— John Northrop (@jhnorthrop3) November 14, 2018
The above and below tweets are obviously in favor of the right to bare arms that is granted to us under the 2nd amendment but they do not agree with how the NRA is attacking doctors.
Guns belong in gun clubs and for hunting, each after the owner has gone through training and rigorous written and practical exams. Then, no open carry and strict laws on storage. There’s your “lane.” #stayinmylane #StayInYourLane
— Christian Christensen (@ChrChristensen) November 20, 2018
All of the below tweets are in clear defense of why the NRA has no right to call out doctors the way that they did, because doctors are the ones having to deal with gunshot victims.
@NRA, Since you’re the gun experts, can you please tell this man’s wife that he didn’t make it because the bullet traveled into his chest and through his heart? I’ll just #stayinmylane #Docs4GunSense pic.twitter.com/Xu00D0lnnM
— Lina (@linadmd_) November 16, 2018
This one made it…not sure about the next one. Gun violence is a national public heath issue. #stayinmylane #StayInYourLane @NRA pic.twitter.com/ruxh6wArAK
— Jason Smith (@DrJtrauma) November 13, 2018
So if a shooting takes place INSIDE a hospital, is it ok for the physicians to speak about gun violence now @NRA or should they continue to “stay in their lane”? #stayinmylane https://t.co/r9aKhkh0Js
— Dr. Lexus 🤦♂️ (@DrLexus_StGods) November 19, 2018
The above tweet is just one of many after the shooting in Mercy Hospital in Chicago which happened after the NRA tweeted their controversial tweet.