{"id":54531,"date":"2021-09-22T19:38:56","date_gmt":"2021-09-22T19:38:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/09\/22\/va-zeroes-in-on-gun-safety-as-a-way-to-reduce-veteran-suicides\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:32:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:32:52","slug":"va-zeroes-in-on-gun-safety-as-a-way-to-reduce-veteran-suicides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2021\/09\/22\/va-zeroes-in-on-gun-safety-as-a-way-to-reduce-veteran-suicides\/","title":{"rendered":"VA zeroes in on gun safety as a way to reduce veteran suicides"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2021\/09\/08\/veteran-suicides-decreased-7-percent-in-2019-to-lowest-level-in-12-years\/\" target=\"_blank\">Veterans Affairs officials<\/a> want to talk about your guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Staff working on suicide prevention are planning to increase their focus on the importance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/reach\/lethal-means\/\" target=\"_blank\">lethal means safety<\/a> as part of their suicide prevention campaign. On Wednesday, VA officials said that will include more training for staff and more public service announcements for veterans on best practices for gun storage and mental health help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are not gearing any campaign or messaging towards restriction,\u201d Dr. Matthew Miller, executive director of VA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalhealth.va.gov\/suicide_prevention\/data.asp\" target=\"_blank\">Suicide Prevention Program<\/a>, told members of the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee on Wednesday. \u201cWe are gearing our messaging and campaign towards safety, time and space between a person, a firearm and ammunition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA [pause] of 10 to 20 minutes can be life saving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Miller\u2019s comments came two weeks after VA officials released their annual report on veteran suicide rates, showing a decline in 2019 (the latest year for which data was available). The 7 percent decrease put veterans\u2019 suicides at their lowest rate since 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/09\/08\/veteran-suicides-decreased-7-percent-in-2019-to-lowest-level-in-12-years\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"149\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/BeThere.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Veteran suicides decreased 7 percent in 2019 to lowest level in 12 years<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">About 17 veterans a day died by suicide in 2019, the latest year for which data was available.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the figures still translate into about 17 veteran deaths a day by suicide across America. Of those, roughly 70 percent are the result of firearms use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Public health officials for years have pushed for increased focus on gun ownership and safety among veterans as a way to reduce suicide among veterans, noting that former military members are more likley to own and use the weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the President\u2019s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/06\/17\/long-awaited-report-on-veterans-suicide-calls-for-public-awareness-campaign-better-research-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\">(PREVENTS)<\/a> initiative released in June 2020, administration officials said they found \u201crobust and compelling\u201d evidence that lethal means safety efforts could reduce veterans suicide nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And VA has run multiple public service messages and safety training programs on the issue in recent years. But much of that work has been publicly downplayed or curbed as the topic has frequently run into political opposition from gun rights activists and conservative lawmakers, who view the efforts as an attempt to infringe on individuals\u2019 Second Amendment rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In testimony Wednesday, Miller and other VA officials said they are cognizant of those concerns, but also convinced that the topic must be broached more widely to save veterans\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn fiscal 2022 we\u2019ll be moving forward with that \u2026 addressing lethal means safety specifically for veterans, for families and loved ones and community members, and for health care systems,\u201d he said. &#8221; We\u2019re also working from an interagency perspective within the government, where lethal means safety is a primary goal for interagency collaboration and coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the last month, department officials have released a series of new ads \u2014 both online and on through media networks \u2014 informing veterans that \u201ca simple lock puts space between a thought and a trigger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The PREVENTS report, compiled and approved by President Donald Trump\u2019s administration, noted that \u201ctime and space can create an opportunity for a change of heart or for someone to intervene\u201d in cases of veterans\u2019 emotional distress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn addition, if one means for attempting suicide is not available, most people do not substitute a different method,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The announcement of a new gun safety push by VA drew only mild pushback at Wednesday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., warned that \u201cmandated removal of veterans\u2019 firearms [in cases of mental health problems] would be very counterproductive and completely unacceptable to many members of this committee.\u201d But he also said he thought the approach of VA thus far is \u201cheaded in the right direction\u201d in his view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is a real problem,\u201d he said. \u201cThe amount of times that veterans are using firearms to take their own lives \u2026 if we can get time between them and their firearms, then that\u2019s going to be a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/08\/31\/more-vets-reaching-out-for-crisis-line-help-amid-afghanistan-collapse\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6807146.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">More vets reaching out for crisis line help amid Afghanistan collapse<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">VA staffers said they&#039;re encouraged by the increased outreach, and not fearful that it means a sudden increase in mental health challenges.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other lawmakers pushed VA officials to mandate more firearms safety training for front-line staff interacting with veterans on mental health and support issues. Miller said officials plan to expand that by fall 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalhealth.va.gov\/suicide_prevention\/data.asp\" target=\"_blank\">VA report on veterans suicide<\/a> is available on the department\u2019s web site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans experiencing a mental health emergency can contact the Veteran Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and select option 1 for a VA staffer. Veterans, troops or their family members can also text 838255 or visit <a href=\"http:\/\/veteranscrisisline.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">VeteransCrisisLine.net<\/a> for assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0CFW3jZgv2w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen title=\"Space Between Thought and Trigger - Y60\"><\/iframe>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Roughly 70 percent of veteran suicide deaths in 2019 involved a firearm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":75019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,24,89,16,26,65,21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3328],"class_list":["post-54531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"IPB4ENC3ORDH5I7IA5HLTRHQIM","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2021\/09\/22\/va-zeroes-in-on-gun-safety-as-a-way-to-reduce-veteran-suicides\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>VA zeroes in on gun safety as a way to reduce veteran suicides - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Roughly 70 percent of veteran suicide deaths in 2019 involved a firearm.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VA zeroes in on gun safety as a way to reduce veteran suicides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Roughly 70 percent of veteran suicide deaths in 2019 involved a firearm.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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