Editor: I’m grateful for and encouraged by the Gun Shop Project, a public-private partnership in which gun retailers help educate and remind customers about protecting themselves and those they love from suicide.
The time between thinking about suicide and acting on the decision can be very short, so keeping firearms — the most lethal means — away from a person in crisis gives them crucial time to recover and go on to live many more years.
Since Colorado’s rate of gun suicide is 54% higher than the national rate, this project is especially important here. The University of Colorado has begun a study to assess how successful it is, and I’m looking forward to learning the results. It’s clear the shop owners involved in the project care deeply about their customers and their communities.
— Barbara Niederhoff, via letters@sentinelcolorado.com
Yes. Every bit helps to rid our society of the plague of gun violence and the toll of firearm assisted suicides. The statistics are truly alarming for young males and white males over 45 years of age, many of whom are ex-military or ex-law enforcement.