Partner with Firearm Experts and Allies

Strategy Description

Staff conducting outreach should partner with firearm experts and allies, including law enforcement, veterans, firearm advocacy/rights groups, and firearm retailers/ranges/clubs to share information about firearm safety, suicide prevention, and crisis lines and/or other agencies that provide crisis support. Evidence shows that these are trusted messengers regarding information about firearms and suicide prevention.

Action Steps Based on the Literature

Train staff conducting outreach on best practices: Educate crisis line staff or other crisis services staff conducting outreach on best practices for addressing firearm violence and suicide, including language to use and how to engage with firearm experts effectively. This includes the promotion of secure storage and lethal means counseling¹.
Build relationships: Build strong connections with law enforcement agencies, veterans’ organizations, advocacy organizations, and firearm retailers, ranges, and clubs to integrate crisis line and/or other crisis service awareness into their communications. These potential partners are trusted messengers within their communities and can effectively disseminate information about firearm safety, suicide prevention, and crisis support^1,2,3,4.
Refer to or develop tailored messaging: Refer to or create tailored messages that resonate with specific audiences and experiences. This may include, for example, emphasizing the importance of secure firearm storage to prevent accidents and suicides, using local data, norms, and personal testimonies^2,3.
Conduct joint outreach activities: Organize community events, workshops, and training sessions in collaboration with firearm experts. These events can provide practical demonstration of safe firearm storage, distribute safety supplies, and distribute information about the crisis line and/or other crisis services⁵.
Partner with credible messengers for awareness and information sharing: There are many credible messengers and firearm allies who can assist in delivering key messages. These individuals or organizations can share their personal experiences and knowledge, making the information more relatable and trustworthy for firearm owners^2,3,6.

Evidence Summary

Effective firearm safety messaging relies heavily on credible messengers and tailored content. Research indicates that well-known community members with clear knowledge and experience with firearms, such as law enforcement officers, military members, and veterans, are highly credible sources for firearm safety messages^2,3. These groups are particularly effective in rural and non-metropolitan areas, where they are trusted more than educators, pediatricians, or celebrities^2,3. Additionally, messages that include local data, avoid suggesting the removal of guns from homes, and provide personal testimonies and resources for safety supplies are seen as more effective².

Partnerships between suicide prevention organizations and firearm retailers, ranges, and clubs are crucial for community-level interventions^1,4,7. Collaboration within the firearm industry, including instructors and other stakeholders, has shown promise in reducing access to firearms among those at risk for suicide⁴. In one study, county-level suicide prevention coalitions, local firearm experts, and other stakeholders collaborated on a successful community workshop addressing firearm storage for suicide prevention, which was developed with various community partners due to the importance of having trusted messengers deliver information about firearms⁵. For service members, messages should focus on the importance of firearm safety to prevent accidents, include credible statistics, and be tailored to their specific military context⁸. Women veterans, in particular, value trusted, caring relationships and clear communication about the rationale behind safety conversations⁶.

Addressing the perceived utility of secure firearm storage is essential, as many firearm owners do not see the connection between secure storage and prevention⁹. Efforts to promote secure storage must tackle this to increase engagement in secure storage practices⁹. By leveraging credible messengers and crafting messages that resonate with specific audiences, it is possible to enhance adherence to secure storage recommendations and ultimately reduce firearm-related injuries and suicides^2,3.

References

Allchin, A., Chaplin, V., & Horwitz, J. (2019). Limiting access to lethal means: Applying the social ecological model for firearm suicide prevention. Injury Prevention: Journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention, 25(Suppl 1), i44–i48. https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2018-042809
Ewell Foster, C., Derwin, S., Bornheimer, L. A., Magness, C., Kahsay, E., Eis, M., Verdugo, J. L., Smith, T., Massey, L., Rivara, F. P., & King, C. A. (2024). Firearm safe storage in rural families: Community perspectives about ownership and safety messaging. Health Promotion Practice, 25(1), 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399231166418
Bond, A. E., Moceri-Brooks, J., Bandel, S. L., Crifasi, C., Bryan, C. J., Capron, D. W., Bryan, A. O., & Anestis, M. D. (2024). Determining who military service members deem credible to discuss firearm safety for suicide prevention. Suicide & Life-threatening Behavior, 54(3), 584–592. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.13070
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]. (2024). National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/programs/prevention-and-wellness/mental-health-substance-abuse/national-strategy-suicide-prevention/index.html
Christian, H., Crasta, D., Lloyd-Lester, G., True, G., Goodman, M., Bass, B., Coric, K., Ruetten, T., Lane, R., & Khazanov, G. (2024). Engaging suicide prevention and firearm stakeholders in developing a workshop promoting secure firearm storage for suicide prevention. Injury Epidemiology, 11(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-024-00511-7
Polzer, E. R., Holliday, R., Rohs, C. M., Thomas, S. M., Miller, C. N., Simonetti, J. A., Brenner, L. A., & Monteith, L. L. (2023). Women Veterans’ perspectives, experiences, and preferences for firearm lethal means counseling discussions. PLOS ONE, 18(12), e0295042. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295042
National Alliance for Suicide Prevention. (2020). Lethal Means & Suicide Prevention: A Guide for Community & Industry Leaders. Retrieved from https://theactionalliance.org/resource/lethal-means-suicide-prevention-guide-community-industry-leaders
Department of Defense [DOD]. (2021). Prevention of Suicide by Firearm: A Communication Guide for Military Leaders and Support Providers. Retrieved from https://www.resilience.af.mil/Portals/71/Documents/Time%20Based%20Prevention/20210726_DSPO_Lethal%20Means%20Safety_A%20Communication%20Guide_v.3.pdf
Anestis, M. D., Bryan, C. J., Capron, D. W., & Bryan, A. O. (2022). Evaluation of safe firearm storage messaging in a sample of firearm-owning US military service members. JAMA Network Open, 5(10), e2235984. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.35984

Implementation Examples

The Gun Shop Project aims to increase capacity of firearm retailers to prevent suicide among customers and their friends and family⁴. In 2024, the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline partnered with their local Gun Shop Project to distribute information about the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline.

In 2016, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) partnered with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to implement a program that educates firearm retailers, shooting range operators, and instructors about suicide prevention. This education focuses on risk factors and warning signs, and actions that can be taken to help prevent suicide: making sure firearms are securely stored when not in use, temporary removal of firearms from the home during periods of risk and denying the sale or rental of a firearm when appropriate.

In New York, county-level suicide prevention coalitions, local firearms experts, and other stakeholders developed a 90-minute workshop addressing secure storage for suicide prevention. The workshop’s goal was to empower family members and loved ones of firearm owning community members to talk about firearm storage for suicide prevention. It was important to have firearm experts as trusted messengers delivering the firearm portion of the training. To build relationships with firearm experts, the organizers emailed gun shop owners, firearm instructors, leaders of a community gun club/advocacy organizations, and law enforcement officers to inquire about being a co-facilitator for the training. They also included veteran family members as co-facilitators, who were contacted through a partner organization. The various partners co-created the workshop. Workshop attendees reported positive experiences and suggested that the workshop enhanced their willingness to and confidence in discussing firearm storage with their loved ones⁵ .

Implementation Resources

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs created this brochure to educate veterans and their families on firearm safety and suicide prevention.
The Department of Defense created the “Prevention of Suicide by Firearm: A Communication Guide for Military Leaders and Support Providers”, which emphasizes that firearms are the primary method of suicide death for service members and discusses important steps for talking about preventing suicide through firearm safety.
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention created the “Lethal Means & Suicide Prevention: A Guide for Community & Industry Leaders” and discusses partnering with firearm retailers and shooting range owners on page 10.
The partnership between the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) created a free toolkit for firearm retailers and shooting ranges to use, which you can order here. For example, the toolkit includes a Firearms and Suicide Prevention Brochure. However, the toolkit references the previous National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) phone number instead of 988. The NSPL number remains active as a legacy number and will direct people to the current 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline service.
The Department of Defense’s office on Suicide Prevention created a firearm retailer toolkit. However, the toolkit references the previous National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number instead of 988. The NSPL number remains active as a legacy number and will direct people to the current 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline service. Here are some print materials from the toolkit:

The University of Colorado’s Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative created the “Pause to Protect” online resource to engage firearm businesses and prevent suicide in military communities via secure storage of firearms. The website includes business tools for firearm retails and rangers, secure storage options for firearm owners, and tools for firearm owners (like a home firearm inventory and assessment checklist).

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the National Shooting Sports Administration collaborated on the “Suicide Prevention is Everyone’s Business: A Toolkit for Safe Storage in Your Community” resource to help businesses and service members, veterans, and their families understand suicide prevention and secure firearm storage. It also includes steps and tools for engaging with your community on this topic.

Related Strategies

Go back to the main library page here