Suicide Prevention: A Role for Firearm Dealers and Ranges
Mission
The project’s overall goal is to share materials, developed by and for firearm retailers and range owners, on ways they can help prevent suicide. Its objectives are to:
- Develop and share guidelines with gun store/firing range owners about how to avoid selling or renting a firearm to a suicidal customer
- Encourage gun stores and firing ranges to display and distribute suicide prevention materials tailored to their customers
The project is developing materials aimed both at reducing suicides involving recently-purchased firearms as well as existing household firearms.
Background
In 2009, in the course of less than a week, three people (with no connection to each other) bought a firearm from the same store and killed themselves within hours of the purchase. The Medical Examiner’s office brought this to the attention of their mental health liaison, and a small group of firearm retailers and mental health/public health practitioners met to explore whether there is a role for gun stores in preventing suicide. The group was later adopted by the NH Firearm Safety Coalition.
According to information abstracted from the NH medical examiner’s death investigation reports, among the 144 firearm suicides that occurred over a two-year period ending 6/30/09, nearly one in ten were committed with a gun that was purchased or rented within a week of the suicide (usually within hours). The figure is likely an underestimate since two-thirds of the reports made no mention of when the gun was obtained.
Materials
The Coalition conducted interviews with over half of the gun shops in NH to ask for their advice on project materials and to gauge support for the project (the response was very positive). Products have been developed to address a potential encounter with a suicidal customer as well as to encourage customers to think about ways to reduce the risk of suicide by a loved one. Materials urge customers to be alert to signs of suicide among friends and family, to know where to call for help (1-800-273-TALK[8255]), and to make sure guns aren’t available to those in a suicidal crisis.
Products List
Use the links below to print or view copies of our materials. To order a DVD of the video, a copy of the poster, or the business cards, send us an email requesting the product by title.
- Tip Sheet for Dealers
- Tip Sheet for Range Owners
- FAQ Sheet - NEW
- Video – Suicide Prevention: A Role for Gun Shops and Ranges (length: 5 minutes)
- Firearms Purchasing Checklist
- Gun Safety Rules ~ The 11 Commandments of Firearm Safety - brochure for customers
- Suicide Prevention Poster
- Business cards featuring 800 number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline
Feedback from State Retailers
We spoke with 33 dealers all over NH, and most of them (85%) were willing to post the tip sheet where staff can see it (if applicable—some store owners didn’t have employees). Three out of four dealers were also willing to display the poster for customers (some said they would print out flyers of the poster and include with all purchases).
The New Hampshire Firearm Safety Coalition brings together individuals and organizations with a broad range of views on gun ownership who share a concern with safety and with preventing suicide. The group includes: gun shops and firing ranges, legislators, injury prevention and mental health advocates, researchers and committed volunteers.
Since the Coalition first formed in 1994, the group has produced a variety of public education materials initially geared towards young people: a brochure and other printed materials, Firearm Safety Display Kits available for use at health fairs and educational programs, and two videos entitled “Staying Safe Around Guns - What You DON’T Know Can Hurt You” – one geared to middle school students and the other to high school students. Since then, more than 4500 copies of these have been distributed throughout NH, the US and abroad.
In 2009, the Coalition took on the Gun Shop Project – a collaborative effort to engage gun shop and firing range owners, their employees and their customers on preventing suicide, the number one type of firearm death in the U.S.
NH Firearms Safety Coalition In The News
- Boston Globe - NH responds to rising suicide rate
- CA Office of Suicide Prevention: eNews - Means Matter
- Billings Gazette - Means Matter: Gun lethality affects suicide rate
- NH Public Radio - Rising suicide rates in the granite state
- Tactical-Life.com - Avoiding Disasters
Questions?
Please direct questions about the NH Firearm Safety Coalition to the Co-Chairs:
Elaine Frank ~ Email or 603.653.8360
Ralph Demicco ~ Email or 603.485.5000