Gun Stores Hear a Bold Pitch at Top Firearms Trade Show: Suicide Prevention

The Trace

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) are collaborating on a nationwide effort to reduce firearm suicides, which they recently announced at the gun industry’s largest annual trade show. The partnership aims to educate members of the firearms community about suicide prevention and promote reduced access to guns for at-risk individuals. “This initiative is starting with the reality that guns are in one-third of American homes so, given that, what can [the firearms community] do to keep someone safe?” said AFSP Chief Medical Officer Christine Moutier. The organizations have developed materials for firearms retailers and shooting range operators to distribute to customers, which describe the warning signs for suicide and provide guidance on the temporary transfer of guns away from individuals who are in crisis. According to Cathy Barber, a suicide prevention expert at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “It’s really important that this kind of message is given from the gun owning community, to the gun owning community.” A part of AFSP’s Project 2025, the initiative is currently being pilot tested in four states and is planned to be scaled up across the country, with the goal of preventing nearly 10,000 suicide deaths in the next decade.

Spark Extra! Watch the SPARK Talk, Common Ground: Reducing Gun Access.