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Partnering with Firearm Retailers to Promote Temporary Out-of-Home Firearm Storage
January 25, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Partnering with Firearm Retailers to Promote Temporary Out-of-Home Firearm Storage
January 25, 2022 12:00PM ET
Given that a majority of suicides involve a firearm, suicide prevention efforts include strategies to create “time and distance” between a person and a loaded firearm. Several state-based coalitions have created online “storage maps” of firearm retailers and law enforcement agencies willing to consider requests for temporary, voluntary gun storage; however, little is known about the lasting outcomes of these initiatives. This presentation describes preliminary findings from The Armory Project, a VA community partnership with 3 firearm retailers to promote lethal means safety messaging and temporary storage options for suicide prevention. The presenters will discuss lessons learned, including successful strategies for building VA-community collaboration and facilitators discussing mental health and suicide prevention in gun shops.
Gala True, Ph.D., is an Investigator with the South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System and Associate Professor in the Section on Community and Population Medicine at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. Dr. True’s research focuses on improving access to care and the health of individuals and communities through patient-centered and community-engaged research approaches.
Caleb Morse is an 11-year Army combat veteran with multiple deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A Louisiana native, Caleb is the owner and operator of the Rustic Renegade, a firearms retail shop in Lafayette that also offers coffee, gifts, and a gathering place for veterans and firearms enthusiasts. Caleb is also part of The Armory Project offering out-of-home storage options in his gun shop.
Joseph Constans, Ph.D., serves as the Senior Program Manager for Suicide Prevention in the Office of Research and Development, VHA). He has had a 28-year career in VA. For the past 10-years, his research has concerned suicide and homicide prevention with a particular interest in studying firearm attitudes in vulnerable populations. His research program has been supported with funding from VA CSRD, VA HSRD, CDC, and DoD.
Register online for this virtual event.
Presenters: Gala True, Ph.D.Mr. Caleb Morse and Joseph Constans, Ph.D.
Questions?
Christie Machan, LCSW VA Rocky Mountain MIRECCChristie.Machan@va.gov