Georgia Safe & Secure Project
What is the Georgia Safe & Secure Project?
Safe & Secure is a pilot project that promotes responsible firearm storage to reduce the risk of accidental or intentional injury & death. When firearms are stored securely, we can prevent unauthorized and unsafe access, including in times of emotional distress or crisis. Increasing the time it takes to access a firearm in a suicide crisis can reduce the chances that someone may die by suicide, the most common type of death involving a firearm in Georgia (55%)(1).
Partnering with firearm owners, retailers, ranges, and communities, the project aims to protect our most valuable assets, the people we love, by using storage practices commonly supported by the firearm community.
Partnering to Save Lives
We know that suicide is an important topic in the firearm community, and it is our hope to give everyone the tools they need to feel equipped to help prevent suicide. From firearm retailers and shooting ranges to owners and carrying professionals, everyone can be a partner in saving lives.
Common Concerns about Firearms & Suicide
Many firearm owners have concerns about firearm storage and suicide. Select the comments below to read more about their concerns and what we know about firearms and suicide.
Aren't programs like Safe & Secure really just attempts to take our firearms?
The Safe & Secure project is neutral in the conversation related to the firearm ownership and the right to possess them. Safe & Secure is not involved in developing, enforcing, or advocating for policies or legislation related to firearms, such as red-flag laws. Our objective is to encourage voluntary action to prevent suicide and save lives.
Locking up firearms puts me and/or my family at risk.
Being ready to respond to a threat is important, so we understand the need to have ready access to a firearm in an emergency. Sadly, not securing firearms can lead to tragic outcomes in extreme duress or when suicide thoughts occur also. Between 2016 and 2020, we lost 7,505 Georgians to suicide, 4,660 of these deaths involved the use of a firearm.(2) We encourage owners to consider that, just as an intruder could enter a home suddenly, thoughts of suicide can visit you or your loved ones unexpectedly also. There is no one-size fits all answer for every owner or situation. Owners are encouraged to choose a method of storage that best fits the firearm's purpose, their needs, and that will help protect their family from external and internal threats.
If someone wants to end their life, they are going to do it. Storing my firearm differently won't stop them.
Research shows that most individuals focus on specific ways to end their life and do not often switch or substitute methods if their main means are not available.(3) Limiting their ability to quickly access their chosen means, through what we call environmental strategies (storing firearms or medications securely, putting fencing or safety nets on bridges, etc.), is often an effective method of preventing death. Studies also indicate that most suicides happen within a few minutes or hours of the thought.(4) When barriers are in place to make accessing their chosen method more difficult it can slow them down, give them time to deescalate, and provide opportunities for others to intervene.
Firearm locks will damage my firearm.
Cable and trigger locks are generally safe, but for owners who are concerned, there are other storage options that are effective. Using a pistol or firearm safe is a common option for many. However, many firearms now come with integral trigger locks, making it easy to disable/enable the firearm without the use of additional equipment. Securing your firearms can: 1) prevent accidental damage to your firearm and liability from use by untrained or inexperienced users, 2) help protect against suicide. Keep in mind, all storage options are as safe as your ability to keep your passcodes and keys out of the hands of children and unauthorized users (including individuals in a altered state of mind or emotion).
No one I know would ever do that to themselves; I would never do that.
Most people who think about suicide never considered suicide an option, until moment when they did. Life and emotions can change rapidly, and people can quickly enter a state of distress that inhibits clear thought and impulse control. For some, the previously unthinkable becomes thinkable, and suicide seems to be an option. In those moments, easy access to any means (firearm, medications, etc.) can be dangerous. Rather than waiting for those moments to happen, we encourage owners to proactively protect against them, in the hopes that if they do, serious or fatal injury can be prevented.
What can I do? I don't want to put the idea in someone's head by asking about suicide.
Asking does not generally cause people to think about suicide.(3) Instead it can actually help reduce feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and isolation. If you are concerned about someone, talk to them. Tell them about changes you have noticed in their behavior or mood and you are concerned about them. Follow the four steps to preventing suicide: 1) ASK, directly, "Are you thinking about suicide?" 2) LISTEN and let them talk. 3) STAY with them, and 4) HELP them find support and stay safe by talking about temporarily storing firearms or limiting access to other means.
Safe & Secure Project PSAs
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Resources
For more information about firearm storage, suicide prevention in the firearm community, and ways you can support the cause, visit any of the websites below.
Walk The Talk America (WTTA)
Bridging the gap between mental health and responsible firearm ownership.
Own It? Respect It. Secure It.®
Project of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) program to promote and encourage safe and responsible use and storage of firearms.
Project ChildSafe®
Project ChildSafe is a program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to promote firearms safety and education.
Hold My Guns
Firearms storage for those in need. Connecting responsible firearm owners with voluntary, private off-site storage options, through a national network of partnering gun shops and FFLs, during times of mental health crisis or personal need.
NSSF Suicide Prevention Program for Retailers and Ranges
Suicide Prevention Toolkit to help firearms retailers, shooting range operators and customers understand risk factors and warning signs related to suicide, know where to find help and encourage secure firearms storage options.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Firearms & Suicide Prevention
From offering suicide prevention education for retailers, range owners and firearms owners to encouraging safe storage, there are actions we can take to save lives.
Harvard Injury Control Research Center: Means Matter
Understanding the relationship between suicide, guns, and public health.
Convergence Dialogue on Guns and Suicide Prevention
Strategies that can contribute to preventing firearm suicide.
Lock to Live
A tool that can help you make decisions about temporarily reducing access to potentially dangerous things, like firearms, medicines, sharp objects, or other household items.
Citations:
- WISQARS: Explore Fatal Injury Data Visualization Tool. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 6 April 2022.
- WISQARS: Explore Fatal Injury Data Visualization Tool. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 6 April 2022.
- Owens D, Horrocks J, House A. Fatal and non-fatal repetition of self-harm. Systematic review. Br J Psychiatry. 2002 Sep;181:193-9.
- Means Matter: Duration of a Suicidal Crisis. Harvard Injury Control Research Center. Web. 6 April 2022.
- Daigle MS. Suicide prevention through means restriction: assessing the risk of substitution. A critical review and synthesis. Accid Anal Prev. 2005 Jul;37(4):625-32.