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Lethal Means Safety and Safety Planning

Governor’s Challenge: Focused Priority Areas

Governor's Challenge Page

Priority 1: 
Identifying SMVF and Screening for Suicide Risk

Priority 2: 
Promoting Connectedness and Improving Care Transitions

Priority 3: 
Increasing Lethal Means Safety and Safety Planning

 

Members

Washington State Department of Veteran Affairs

VA Puget Sound Health Care System

Washington State Department of Health 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Washington State Department of Health VDRS

Washington State Department of Health SUDORS

Seattle Children’s Hospital

Washington National Guard

NineLine Veteran Services

White Swan Community Coalition

Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families

Joint Base Lewis-McChord Suicide Prevention Program

ArtsWA

Forefront Suicide Prevention - Safer Homes

Alliance for Gun Responsibility

Washington State House of Representatives

The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Valley Cities

The third priority area for Washington State’s Governor’s Challenge is lethal means safety and safety planning. Effective suicide prevention strategies must extend beyond behavior modification, such as interventions and encouraging individuals to seek help. Altering the environment can serve as a crucial preventive measure in numerous situations. Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) often have greater access to lethal means, particularly firearms, compared to the general population. Therefore, understanding the associated risks, available safety options, and appropriate crisis response regarding firearms can be pivotal in saving lives.

Goals

  • Expand the number of trained interventionists by offering LEARN gatekeeper training.
  • Mitigate the stigmas associated with gun ownership while simultaneously addressing the risk of suicide.
  • Increase the distribution of firearm and medication safety measures.
  • Enhance the education and awareness of gun shop and range staff regarding SMVF who may be at risk for suicide.
  • Enhance our outreach efforts within the community to promote a cultural transformation surrounding firearm and medication safety. Furthermore, this will include information and resources aimed at harm reduction strategies related to illicit drug use.

Learn More & Get Involved

This map is a tool, made by researchers at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, to help people across Washington State find a place, outside the home, to temporarily store firearms for people in crisis. Sometimes removing a firearm from the home of someone who is feeling suicidal can save a life. This map shows a list of businesses and law enforcement agencies able to store firearms.