National sport gun group teams up with Suicide Prevention group, to stop suicides

[2aguy]

The National Sport Shooting Foundation is teaming up with the largest Suicide Prevention group to combat suicides.....actually doing something to stop suicide vs. the anti gunners who want to keep law abiding people from owning guns.....

NSSF Partners With American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to Reduce Gun-Related Suicides - The Truth About Guns

Depending on the year and who’s doing the counting, there are about 21,000 firearms-related suicides in the US each year. That’s about half of the total number of suicides and roughly two-thirds of all firearms-related deaths. There’s plenty of evidence that if guns aren’t available, those bent on taking their own lives will choose another method. But that isn’t to say that steps can’t be taken to reduce the number of deaths. Which is why the National Shooting Sports Foundation has announced a new partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Here’s their press release:

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A new partnership between the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the nation’s largest suicide prevention organization, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms industry, will allow for both organizations to embark on a first-of-its-kind national plan to build and implement public education resources for firearms retailers, shooting ranges and the firearms-owning community about suicide prevention and firearms.

According to recently released data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of all suicides were by firearm in 2014, and suicide accounted for almost two-thirds of gun deaths in the same year. In addition, 90 percent of suicide attempts with a firearm are fatal. By working together to develop and deliver suicide-prevention resources, AFSP and NSSF hope to help stem this loss of life.

“This partnership has been a true collaboration since we started conversations last year. AFSP sees this relationship as critical to reaching the firearms community,” said Robert Gebbia, AFSP CEO. “One of the first areas identified through Project 2025 was a need to involve the gun-owning community in suicide prevention. By joining forces with NSSF, we reach both firearm owners and sellers nationwide to inform and educate them about suicide prevention and firearms, and offer specific actions they can do to prevent suicide. Through Project 2025 analysis and the work of this partnership, we know that this public education has the potential to save thousands of lives.”

 

[alang1216]

Hopefully it's not just for show and something positive will come out of it.

 

[2aguy]

Hopefully it's not just for show and something positive will come out of it.

The only one doing things for show are the anti gunners....

 

[waltky]

Best way to prevent war suicides is to prevent war...

Suicide Prevention: The War at Home
25 Sep 2017 | Kim Ruocco, MSW, is Vice President, Suicide Prevention and Postvention at the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) and the surviving spouse of Marine Corps Maj. John Ruocco, who died by suicide in 2005.

Daniel Lee O'Brien graduated from boot camp in August of 2005. He was a Marine, like his father and grandfather before him. Daniel did two tours in Iraq in short order. He returned home and married his sweetheart, Lisa. They had a little girl, Alexis Leah, who was Daniel's "number one." But his life began to fall apart as PTS waged war on his mind. He was 22 years old when he died by suicide. Dana O'Brien (OB), who served in Vietnam, began to fight his own demons following the death of his grandson, Daniel. Daniel's death, combined with his own unresolved pain from Vietnam, threatened to destroy him, but the power of love from his family and TAPS, combined with treatment, saved his life. This morning, and every morning, OB reaches out to veterans and families of the fallen by calling or sending a text message. He reminds them there are people in their lives who love them as he loved his grandson.

The rate of suicide has increased in recent years for the U.S. population as a whole. According to the Department of Veterans' Affairs most recent report on suicide, this rate has increased more dramatically for veterans than for non-veterans, with the risk of suicide approximately 21 percent greater for veterans. In addition, the rate is approximately 2.4 times higher for female veterans than for non-veterans. Statistics also indicate that families affected by suicide are at a higher risk of death by suicide themselves. More lives have been lost to suicide in the past 15 years than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Like war, suicide doesn't discriminate. It touches all -- all ranks, all socio-economic groups, and all races. There is help for those suffering from suicidal thoughts, there are treatment options that work -- options that will decrease the pain, not just numb it.

There are programs that stand at the ready to help with evidence-based, best-practice care. But it is up to us, the community, to find new and innovative ways to connect these programs to service members, veterans and military family members in need. Once, veterans who died by suicide were kept from burial in VA cemeteries, and their survivors, denied certain benefits. In short, it was viewed as a dishonorable death. Slowly, we have begun to understand more about suicide and the complex factors that contribute to it. We are beginning to understand that like cancer or a broken leg, if PTS, mood disorders, moral injuries, and TBI go untreated, they can be fatal. Of course, there are pragmatic issues to contend with in helping ensure our veterans have the care and support they need. This means adequate staff and resources at the VA. It will take more than money, however, to eradicate suicide in the military. At TAPS, we have partnered with national, public and private organizations to combat suicide.

Together with such organizations as the National Action Alliance, the American Association of Suicidology, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, SAHMSA, SPRC, DSPO, the VA and others, we are determined to make a difference. We advocate for increased funding for organized peer support for veterans and their families to decrease stress and provide opportunities to share resources. Too often these families are suffering alone without the knowledge of others who are in a similar situation. Peers can be a bridge to professional care and a beacon of hope for those who are suffering. We must also have a serious discussion to determine how best family members can be involved in treatment options without breaching HIPAA, and to provide families with more professional support such as a 24/7 hotline.

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