You and your loved ones may be under a lot of stress right now, given the challenges and hardships presented by the pandemic, a crisis of systemic racism, wildfires and other life circumstances and challenges. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and in this time of widespread crisis, it is more important than ever to remember you are not alone. Encourage your loved ones to reach out for help if they need it. It is also especially important to keep your guns safely locked away.
Firearm locking and storage devices are simple, secure, and ready if you need to access your gun in an emergency. Examples of firearm locking devices include a lock box, gun vault or safe, trigger lock or cable lock. If you are interested in purchasing a safe storage device, through December 2020, mention Public Health or LOCK-IT-UP and get 10-15% off select storage devices or lock boxes at participating retailers.
You and people you trust should be the only ones who can access your firearm. Using a keypad lock, number combination or push-button combination is recommended. It’s important that children and other unauthorized people do not know the location of the key, or the combination.
Public Health – Seattle and King County has life-saving information on how to lock up firearms safely, newly translated into several languages. These materials explain how we can help keep ourselves and our friends and family safe.
Please share these resources and information with other firearm owners, family, friends and community members to help spread the word about safe firearm storage:
For more information go to the Lock It Up page to learn more about how to keep your firearms stored simply, secured, and ready.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 and King County Crisis Connections at 866-427-4747 are great resources for support if you or a loved one are struggling, even if you’ve never asked for outside help before.
Originally published on September 21, 2020