NSSF Kicks Off "Gun Storage Check Week"

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation is urging everyone to take advantage of this important awareness opportunity to remind gun owners of their responsibilities to maintain secure firearms by observing Gun Storage Check Week.

by the Shoot ON staff

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, will honor National Suicide Prevention Month by running its national awareness campaign, Gun Storage Check Week, September 1-7. Gun Storage Check Week reminds firearm owners to “Make Sure It’s Secure” by reviewing their firearm storage practices.

“In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), NSSF works diligently to provide the firearm-owning community with education about preventing suicide,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF’s President and CEO. “One of the most effective methods for preventing suicide is deterring access to firearms and other means during a time of crisis. That’s why during Gun Storage Check Week we’re asking gun owners and their families to do their part by securely storing firearms when not in use to help prevent suicide, as well as accidents, misuse and thefts.”

During Gun Storage Check Week and throughout the month of September, visitors to GunStorageCheck.org can enter to win gun safes donated by Hornady Manufacturing. Additional entries to win can be earned by watching a short video on suicide prevention.

Each year more than half of all firearm-related fatalities are suicide deaths, and among veterans the rate tops 72 percent. “Suicide is preventable,” said Bartozzi. “Gun owners and their families can save lives by becoming more open to discussing factors that contribute to suicide risk and by preventing access to firearms when someone is at risk. Supporting someone who is struggling and being respectful of the right to own firearms can go together.”

On GunStorageCheck.org, NSSF provides the NSSF-AFSP brochure on suicide prevention that discusses warning signs and how to have a “brave conversation” with someone you’re worried about. NSSF also has added resources for veterans, including links to the VA’s “Don’t wait. Reach out” program. The NSSF-AFSP suicide prevention toolkit is available to firearm retailers and shooting ranges.

Bartozzi noted that when a person in crisis cannot access a firearm, a vital pause occurs that allows time for the period of acute risk to pass or for intervention to take place, and that pause can save a life. Temporary offsite storage can also be a solution but remember to follow all applicable firearm transfer laws.

Storage Devices

Gun Storage Check Week’s safety resources highlight many options to store firearms securely so that guns are off limits to unauthorized persons. Secure gun storage devices include:

cable locks — often available free of charge, including through NSSF’s Project ChildSafe® program
lock boxes — storage solutions for guns kept for home security and in vehicles
lockable gun cases — for security and portability
full-size gun cabinets and safes — for owners with multiple firearms to protect, including against fire and theft.

Digital Devices

Leveraging new technology that is readily available, these devises link to apps that warn owners when safes or firearms are tampered with or jostled.

“Periodically, gun owners should review their firearm storage practices because people’s lives change—a child grows older and becomes more curious, a teenager or adult happens to be going through a rough patch in life,” said Bartozzi. “These and other situations might require a change in storage habits or devices.

“Make Gun Storage Check Week the time you check the box on safety in your home by making sure firearms are secured from unwanted access,” added Bartozzi. – end –

Be Safe and Ready

Maintaining safe control of your firearms is of utmost importance, yet that must be balanced with the need for quick and efficient access to those guns for the purpose of which they are intended when you are talking about defending yourself and your family. In short, you must maintain the security of your defensive firearm, but you also need to be able to access it immediately when a threat presents itself.

One product that we discussed here several months ago that satisfies both the security and the immediate crisis response quotients is the Minuteman safe from Hayman Safe Company. The genius of the Minuteman safe is that it is designed to be mounted in a wall at the most convenient location. This could be your bedside, a hallway…even your living room. The safe comes with a combination keypad and biometric lock system for fast access and stores one or more long guns and support gear, depending on the model you choose.

Manufactured in the U.S. with a 1/8-in. formed steel body and a 3/16-inch formed steel door, the Minuteman incorporates a deadlocking boltwork and hardplate to protect from drill attacks.

Visit Hayman Safe Company to learn more about their made-in-the-US firearm storage and security solutions.