Shelf-building workshops provide gun safety awareness
Veteran suicide continues to elicit nationwide concern. According to VA’s 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, 71% of Veterans who commit suicide use a firearm.
With high gun ownership in Colorado translating to easy access to a firearm, this study also confirms the suicide rate among Colorado Veterans is higher than the national average.
Project promotes safe gun storage
Acknowledging the unique challenges Veterans face, staff from VA’s National Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP) developed an innovative gun storage safety project. James Gallanos and Jessica Podkulski, social workers and community engagement and partnership coordinators with OMHSP, devised a firearm storage shelf-making project to promote awareness and education about firearms and suicide.
Ten free workshops hosted by VA and community partners will allow Veterans to build wall-hanging, lockable shelves with hidden storage to encase firearms safely. Participants can personalize the shelf with pictures and mementos that honor their service.
Veterans may also display family photos and other meaningful items that remind them of their purpose for living to provide visual cues before they consider opening that shelf in a crisis. “While Veterans are building these shelves, we can give them education,” Gallanos said.
Limiting gun access while honoring Veterans
Gallanos said 33% of Veterans have a loaded firearm in their home. Having access to weapons is part of their training and the culture as a Veteran, he said. This project is about creating an opportunity for Veterans to have safe storage options for firearms. It involves providing education and having a conversation about removing access.
“It’s about their choice and we want to respond to their attachment to their firearm,” Gallanos said. “We provide a shelf where firearms can be concealed, and it takes time for them to access that weapon if they are in a temporary crisis.”
That time could save a life.
A commitment to safety
Not all Veterans with firearms in their homes pose a risk of harm to themselves or others; they may use firearms for hunting, home security and sport. With this project, Gallanos is not suggesting firearms be taken away from Veterans. He hopes the shelves will support Veterans and aid in maintaining safe environments while they are in crisis.
“We are trying to get ahead of suicide prevention to help Veterans with those stressors,” said Gallanos. It’s based on the invitation for them to recognize and acknowledge when they are in crisis and commit to some level of safety,” Gallanos said. “We try to help them process that they want help, they want to reduce pain, they want to live. We can be there to support them in treatment.”
Community-based partners are taking the lead in facilitating the shelf-building workshops. To learn more about this project and upcoming workshops, call James Gallanos at 303-369-4781.
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April Love is a Writer-Editor on the VISN 19 Creative Task Force. She began working for Denver VA in 2016 and lives in Aurora, Colorado.