Call it nothing short of a social miracle, but there appears to be a noticeable shift in attention away from “gun control” and toward suicide prevention, and it is a delight for Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Gottlieb has been on the ground floor of an ambitious effort launched in Seattle in cooperation with suicide prevention specialists at the University of Washington and a Democrat state lawmaker who shepherded a new law through the state legislature. The result has been remarkable, with a far different perspective on gun owners as part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
Gottlieb told Point Blank that what happened in Washington appears to have been the catalyst for increased media attention to similar efforts in Colorado and New Mexico that were publicized recently.
In Montrose, CO, for example, the owner of a gun shop was the subject of a story by the Associated Press that focused on suicide prevention efforts in the Centennial State. Gunsmith Keith Carey lost a daughter to suicide by what was described as “a mix of alcohol and antidepressants.” Still, he reportedly “sees the logic” of prevention strategies created around firearms because they are used in a large percentage of suicides.
Last year, the story said, Carey participated in what was called “The Gun Shop Project.” The report explained what this effort is all about, and further noted that the states with the highest suicide rates include Alaska, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico.
Speaking of New Mexico, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported on an effort there involving outreach workers who have been handing out gun locks. That commentary mentioned the Washington state effort prominently, noting that about 80% of firearms deaths in the Evergreen State are suicides.
Gottlieb is excited about the new Washington law, because it requires involvement by gun rights organizations on a new Safe Homes subcommittee. In addition, there must be representation from gun shops.
Proponents of the legislation acknowledged that they could not have done it without the involvement of firearms organizations.
