Suicide Prevention must include firearm information - Sample script included
Many of you will get emails from institutions such as local schools about suicide prevention month. If there isn’t information about firearms, it is up to you to let them know you’d like to see it.
Here’s a sample script for your local school:
I'd like to request that our school include firearm storage information along with suicide information.
In Nebraska, according to CDC data, there were 45 suicides in Nebraska ages 10-19 in the years 2020-2021. Of those deaths, 17 used a firearm, nearly 50%.
Kids cannot kill themselves or others with guns when adults keep guns locked up.
Here's some sample language.
“Our school reminds parents and guardians of the importance of keeping guns and ammunition safely away from children and adolescents to prevent intentional and unintentional harm. Adolescent suicide risk is strongly associated with firearm availability. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that the most reliable and effective measure to prevent firearm injuries in children and adolescents is an absence of guns. Safe gun storage (guns unloaded and locked, ammunition locked separately) reduces children’s risk of injury.”