Promote Safety During
Gun Storage Check Week

In June, NSSF promoted its first-ever Gun Storage Check Week — coinciding with National Safety Month — to great effect. Here in the first week of September, National Suicide Prevention Month, Gun Storage Check Week has returned with a new focus: stressing the importance of how secure storage prevents suicide.

The goal of this weeklong campaign is to remind millions of gun owners to review their firearm storage practices and improve them, when necessary.

“Many are often surprised to learn that most firearm fatalities are suicide deaths, not homicides or accidents,” said NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi. “By securely storing their firearms, gun owners and their families can create time and space between a person in crisis and a gun. That interruption to access has been shown to save lives.”

As leaders in their local communities, dealers have an especially important role to play in promoting secure storage — not just this week, but throughout the year.

“Firearm retailers are a trusted source of information for their customers, particularly in matters of safety,” noted Bill Brassard, NSSF senior director, communications. “During Gun Storage Check Week, we encourage retailers to remind customers to check on their storage and of the many devices available to them to prevent unwanted access. It’s an important message to consider during National Suicide Prevention Month because deterring access to someone who’s going through a difficult time, whether adult or youth, can save a life.”

Getting Involved

For those stores and industry companies interested in promoting this weeklong campaign, NSSF has made it easy to participate.

Industry partners can visit GunStorageCheck.org for print and digital promotional materials — including ads, social media posts, a press release, videos, poster, blog post, letter to the editor and more. (On social media posts, use #GunStorageCheck.)

Additionally, those who visit GunStorageCheck.org will have the opportunity to win one of many safes donated by Hornady Mfg. Prizes will be awarded each week during this month to honor National Suicide Prevention Month.

“The more collaboration we receive from companies, organizations, law enforcement, individuals and other partners in safety, the more people we can reach with this important safety message — to ‘Make Sure It’s Secure,’” Bartozzi said. “Help us remind gun owners and their families gun safety is part of overall home safety, and secure storage is the number-one way to help prevent firearm-related suicides, accidents, misuse and thefts.”

For more info: GunStorageCheck.org.