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| Vermont gun lobby bypasses Sanders v Clinton in attempt to cut down suicides | Vermont gun lobby bypasses Sanders v Clinton in attempt to cut down suicides |
| (6 months later) | |
| When Vermont considered tightening its gun laws last year, hundreds of citizens wearing hunter orange showed up at the state house to protest. | When Vermont considered tightening its gun laws last year, hundreds of citizens wearing hunter orange showed up at the state house to protest. |
| Bernie Sanders’ home state has some of the most gun-friendly laws in the nation. It also has the nation’s lowest violent crime rate. The push to require universal background checks on gun sales failed almost immediately. | Bernie Sanders’ home state has some of the most gun-friendly laws in the nation. It also has the nation’s lowest violent crime rate. The push to require universal background checks on gun sales failed almost immediately. |
| But gun rights advocates didn’t stop with defeating background checks legislation. Vermont had only six gun murders in 2014, but according to statistics from the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it had 59 gun suicides. | But gun rights advocates didn’t stop with defeating background checks legislation. Vermont had only six gun murders in 2014, but according to statistics from the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it had 59 gun suicides. |
| “We do have a small problem with suicides in the state. It’s not huge, like the anti-gunners say, but it is a problem,” said Ed Cutler, president of Gun Owners of Vermont, which labels itself a “no-compromise” gun rights organization. | “We do have a small problem with suicides in the state. It’s not huge, like the anti-gunners say, but it is a problem,” said Ed Cutler, president of Gun Owners of Vermont, which labels itself a “no-compromise” gun rights organization. |
| At the same time as they fought back against new regulations, Cutler and other gun rights leaders proposed a different approach: educating gun owners about suicide risk and how to de-stigmatize seeking mental health treatment. A year later, the state affiliate of the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of Vermont are rolling out a program to bring suicide awareness to gun stores, ranges, and clubs. They will also host training on how to talk to friends in crisis about getting help. | At the same time as they fought back against new regulations, Cutler and other gun rights leaders proposed a different approach: educating gun owners about suicide risk and how to de-stigmatize seeking mental health treatment. A year later, the state affiliate of the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of Vermont are rolling out a program to bring suicide awareness to gun stores, ranges, and clubs. They will also host training on how to talk to friends in crisis about getting help. |
| “This is not an anti-gun or a veiled anti-gun campaign – this is strictly us helping ourselves,” said Chris Bradley, president of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Vermont’s state NRA group. | “This is not an anti-gun or a veiled anti-gun campaign – this is strictly us helping ourselves,” said Chris Bradley, president of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Vermont’s state NRA group. |
| Experts from the state’s department of mental health have worked closely on the project, but gun rights groups are leading the public outreach. They have vetted every poster and fact sheet to make sure the suicide prevention message is not mixed with anti-gun rhetoric. | Experts from the state’s department of mental health have worked closely on the project, but gun rights groups are leading the public outreach. They have vetted every poster and fact sheet to make sure the suicide prevention message is not mixed with anti-gun rhetoric. |
| It is a very different approach from the fight over gun laws and gun industry regulation that has become a key part of the presidential battle between Sanders and Hillary Clinton, in which Vermont will vote this week, as one of the potentially crucial Super Tuesday primaries. | It is a very different approach from the fight over gun laws and gun industry regulation that has become a key part of the presidential battle between Sanders and Hillary Clinton, in which Vermont will vote this week, as one of the potentially crucial Super Tuesday primaries. |
| Nationwide, gun suicides represent nearly two-thirds of annual gun deaths. Public mass-casualty shootings like the ones this past week in Hesston, Kansas, and Kalamazoo, Michigan, represent only a tiny fraction of the overall toll. | Nationwide, gun suicides represent nearly two-thirds of annual gun deaths. Public mass-casualty shootings like the ones this past week in Hesston, Kansas, and Kalamazoo, Michigan, represent only a tiny fraction of the overall toll. |
| Nationwide, the group most at risk for gun suicide are white, middle-aged men. While gun homicide rates have remained mostly flat since 2000, gun suicide rates are rising. | Nationwide, the group most at risk for gun suicide are white, middle-aged men. While gun homicide rates have remained mostly flat since 2000, gun suicide rates are rising. |
| About half of America’s gun suicides involve a firearm, a means of suicide that is almost always lethal. Studies have found that many people act within less than an hour of deciding to kill themselves – and some within minutes of the decision. While people some who survive a suicide attempt will try again, 90% will not ultimately die from suicide. For many, a suicidal crisis can be very brief. | About half of America’s gun suicides involve a firearm, a means of suicide that is almost always lethal. Studies have found that many people act within less than an hour of deciding to kill themselves – and some within minutes of the decision. While people some who survive a suicide attempt will try again, 90% will not ultimately die from suicide. For many, a suicidal crisis can be very brief. |
| That means, researchers say, that finding ways to limit people’s access to firearms in the midst of that crisis could be a key factor in saving lives. | That means, researchers say, that finding ways to limit people’s access to firearms in the midst of that crisis could be a key factor in saving lives. |
| Educating gun dealers to look for signs of suicide risk is one line of defense. But many Americans most at risk already own guns. The approach being tested in Vermont is whether more education about suicide risk might persuade some gun owners to let their friends keep their guns for them when they’re experiencing depression or going though a divorce, a job loss, or another difficult time. | Educating gun dealers to look for signs of suicide risk is one line of defense. But many Americans most at risk already own guns. The approach being tested in Vermont is whether more education about suicide risk might persuade some gun owners to let their friends keep their guns for them when they’re experiencing depression or going though a divorce, a job loss, or another difficult time. |
| Gun owners trust gun owners | Gun owners trust gun owners |
| “A lot of our members, they’re terrified they’re going to have their guns taken away,” said Cutler, the Gun Owners of Vermont president. He said he believes the focus on using laws to disqualify people with mental health problems from owning guns ends up discouraging gun owners from seeking mental health treatment at all. | “A lot of our members, they’re terrified they’re going to have their guns taken away,” said Cutler, the Gun Owners of Vermont president. He said he believes the focus on using laws to disqualify people with mental health problems from owning guns ends up discouraging gun owners from seeking mental health treatment at all. |
| Taking a friends-helping-friends approach will work better, he said. | Taking a friends-helping-friends approach will work better, he said. |
| “We can hold their guns for them, talk to them, get them counseling, and once it’s over and done with, we’ll give them their guns back and there won’t be stigma attached. | “We can hold their guns for them, talk to them, get them counseling, and once it’s over and done with, we’ll give them their guns back and there won’t be stigma attached. |
| “Gun owners trust gun owners.” | “Gun owners trust gun owners.” |
| An ‘unacceptable’ toll | An ‘unacceptable’ toll |
| Clinton, who has emphasized her willingness to go after the gun lobby to help prevent gun violence, has said very little about suicide. Her campaign policy page on gun violence prevention notes that “about 33,000 Americans are killed by guns each year” but does not mention that roughly 20,000 of those deaths are suicides. Her list of strategies to prevent this “unacceptable” death toll makes no mention of suicide at all. | Clinton, who has emphasized her willingness to go after the gun lobby to help prevent gun violence, has said very little about suicide. Her campaign policy page on gun violence prevention notes that “about 33,000 Americans are killed by guns each year” but does not mention that roughly 20,000 of those deaths are suicides. Her list of strategies to prevent this “unacceptable” death toll makes no mention of suicide at all. |
| A campaign spokeswoman said Clinton’s support for expanding background checks and federal research on gun violence would help to reduce suicide, as would her support for improving existing laws focused on prohibiting people “suffering from severe mental illness from purchasing or possessing a gun”. | A campaign spokeswoman said Clinton’s support for expanding background checks and federal research on gun violence would help to reduce suicide, as would her support for improving existing laws focused on prohibiting people “suffering from severe mental illness from purchasing or possessing a gun”. |
| The spokeswoman cited a study from the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety that found dramatically lower rates of gun suicide in states that require background checks for all handgun sales than in states that do not. But the study does not control for rates of firearm ownership. In an academic study that found a correlation between tough gun laws and lower rates of gun death, when the researchers controlled for the number of guns in a state, the link “essentially disappeared”. | The spokeswoman cited a study from the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety that found dramatically lower rates of gun suicide in states that require background checks for all handgun sales than in states that do not. But the study does not control for rates of firearm ownership. In an academic study that found a correlation between tough gun laws and lower rates of gun death, when the researchers controlled for the number of guns in a state, the link “essentially disappeared”. |
| A spokesman for Sanders’ campaign touted the senator’s past efforts to expand mental health access, especially for veterans at risk of suicide, and pointed to his single-payer health insurance plan, designed to provide access to mental health services to all Americans. He also cited Sanders’ support for improving the nation’s background check system for firearm purchases. | A spokesman for Sanders’ campaign touted the senator’s past efforts to expand mental health access, especially for veterans at risk of suicide, and pointed to his single-payer health insurance plan, designed to provide access to mental health services to all Americans. He also cited Sanders’ support for improving the nation’s background check system for firearm purchases. |
| Sanders’ approach to gun policy has long stayed in line with that of his rural state, which has high rates of gun ownership and strong support for gun rights even among Democratic leaders. When universal background checks were debated last year, Vermont’s Democratic governor said he thought the state’s laws were perfectly adequate. | Sanders’ approach to gun policy has long stayed in line with that of his rural state, which has high rates of gun ownership and strong support for gun rights even among Democratic leaders. When universal background checks were debated last year, Vermont’s Democratic governor said he thought the state’s laws were perfectly adequate. |
| Over the past few months, as Clinton has continued to hammer him on guns, Sanders has moved towards more gun control-friendly positions. Clinton has hit hardest on Sanders’ vote in favor of a 2005 federal law that protects firearm manufacturers, distributors and dealers against lawsuits over the criminal misuse of their products. | Over the past few months, as Clinton has continued to hammer him on guns, Sanders has moved towards more gun control-friendly positions. Clinton has hit hardest on Sanders’ vote in favor of a 2005 federal law that protects firearm manufacturers, distributors and dealers against lawsuits over the criminal misuse of their products. |
| In January, Sanders told reporters that he would cosponsor a bill to repeal this gun industry shield law. A repeal of the law could open up a new series of lawsuits by gun control groups seeking to hold firearms manufacturers and distributors responsible for monitoring whether their products end up in the hands of people with criminal records. | In January, Sanders told reporters that he would cosponsor a bill to repeal this gun industry shield law. A repeal of the law could open up a new series of lawsuits by gun control groups seeking to hold firearms manufacturers and distributors responsible for monitoring whether their products end up in the hands of people with criminal records. |
| In Vermont, the suicide prevention effort also focuses on gun dealers, but organizers are appealing to empathy and moral responsibility, not legal liability. Bradley, the president of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, said most gun sellers he knows have had the experience of selling a gun to a customer who later used it to kill themselves. | In Vermont, the suicide prevention effort also focuses on gun dealers, but organizers are appealing to empathy and moral responsibility, not legal liability. Bradley, the president of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, said most gun sellers he knows have had the experience of selling a gun to a customer who later used it to kill themselves. |
| “To say it weighs heavily on someone is a horrible understatement,” he said. | “To say it weighs heavily on someone is a horrible understatement,” he said. |
| ‘I’m not a psychologist and you’re not a psychologist’ | ‘I’m not a psychologist and you’re not a psychologist’ |
| On Friday, Bradley brought a stack of suicide prevention materials to a gun dealer in Barre, just south of Vermont’s capital, Montpelier. Rather than having the state’s department of mental health deliver the posters and fact sheets, gun owners are doing all of the delivery and education themselves. It gives credibility to the campaign, Bradley said – and makes it clear the materials are a service gun advocates are providing, rather than another mandated requirement from the state. | On Friday, Bradley brought a stack of suicide prevention materials to a gun dealer in Barre, just south of Vermont’s capital, Montpelier. Rather than having the state’s department of mental health deliver the posters and fact sheets, gun owners are doing all of the delivery and education themselves. It gives credibility to the campaign, Bradley said – and makes it clear the materials are a service gun advocates are providing, rather than another mandated requirement from the state. |
| At R&L Archery, a large, family-run outdoor goods store, Bradley waited while Jon Sanborn, the store’s vice-president, finished with a customer who would need to update his address on his ID before he could pass a background check. | At R&L Archery, a large, family-run outdoor goods store, Bradley waited while Jon Sanborn, the store’s vice-president, finished with a customer who would need to update his address on his ID before he could pass a background check. |
| Then he spread out the campaign’s new posters on the counter and made his pitch. | Then he spread out the campaign’s new posters on the counter and made his pitch. |
| “The whole idea is to establish a dialogue,” he said. “I’m not a psychologist and you’re not a psychologist.” | “The whole idea is to establish a dialogue,” he said. “I’m not a psychologist and you’re not a psychologist.” |
| “Clearly,” Sanborn broke in, drily. | “Clearly,” Sanborn broke in, drily. |
| Sanborn said he liked the materials designed to educate store employees about being watchful for signs of suicide. But he did not have a positive reaction to the poster designed to reach people at risk of suicide, which had “Thinking about suicide?” in red letters at the top. | Sanborn said he liked the materials designed to educate store employees about being watchful for signs of suicide. But he did not have a positive reaction to the poster designed to reach people at risk of suicide, which had “Thinking about suicide?” in red letters at the top. |
| “I don’t love that for the front of my store,” he said. Ninety-nine percent of his customers, he said, would not be associating buying a gun with suicide, and he did not want to put that thought in their heads. | “I don’t love that for the front of my store,” he said. Ninety-nine percent of his customers, he said, would not be associating buying a gun with suicide, and he did not want to put that thought in their heads. |
| But he said he did support the broader project of putting more focus on suicide prevention. | But he said he did support the broader project of putting more focus on suicide prevention. |
| “There’s never been any awareness on our end,” he said. “Warning signs – things to look for, that kind of thing, none of that has propagated through the gun world.” | “There’s never been any awareness on our end,” he said. “Warning signs – things to look for, that kind of thing, none of that has propagated through the gun world.” |
| Most people have some kind of personal connection to gun suicides, Sanborn said, as well as knowing that they have sold a few guns to people who have used them to kill themselves. | Most people have some kind of personal connection to gun suicides, Sanborn said, as well as knowing that they have sold a few guns to people who have used them to kill themselves. |
| “It does cast the rest of our industry and the rest of our hobbies in such a negative light,” he said. “Any of the political speeches you look at – Hillary Clinton had one at the end of last year – 92 people a day are killed by firearms, and if you look at the number, those are true, but 60-some odd of those 90 are suicide.” | “It does cast the rest of our industry and the rest of our hobbies in such a negative light,” he said. “Any of the political speeches you look at – Hillary Clinton had one at the end of last year – 92 people a day are killed by firearms, and if you look at the number, those are true, but 60-some odd of those 90 are suicide.” |
| He said the Vermont Gun Shop project was the first initiative he had seen to actually work through firearm dealers to tackle that problem. | He said the Vermont Gun Shop project was the first initiative he had seen to actually work through firearm dealers to tackle that problem. |
| On Saturday, at the Snowsville General Store in Randolph, store owner Eugene Booska also said he was willing to participate in the new suicide prevention program, though he had not seen the new materials yet. | On Saturday, at the Snowsville General Store in Randolph, store owner Eugene Booska also said he was willing to participate in the new suicide prevention program, though he had not seen the new materials yet. |
| Booska’s store stocks milk and eggs as well as guns, and is heated by an old-fashioned wood-burning stove. | Booska’s store stocks milk and eggs as well as guns, and is heated by an old-fashioned wood-burning stove. |
| “They asked me if I would support, to help to pass out information,” Booska said. “I think it’s fine, and I will pass it out. I don’t know as it’s going to work very well.” | “They asked me if I would support, to help to pass out information,” Booska said. “I think it’s fine, and I will pass it out. I don’t know as it’s going to work very well.” |
| Choosing not to sell one gun to someone who seems at risk might not prevent them from killing themselves, he said. | Choosing not to sell one gun to someone who seems at risk might not prevent them from killing themselves, he said. |
| “Most guys that I sell guns to have already got a lot of guns.” | “Most guys that I sell guns to have already got a lot of guns.” |
| Booska’s wife, Kris, said she has sometimes trusted her gut instinct and refused to sell someone a gun, even if they have passed a background check. Firearms dealers always have the option to refuse a sale. But she also remembers selling a gun to someone who later killed himself, and she did not see any red flags. | Booska’s wife, Kris, said she has sometimes trusted her gut instinct and refused to sell someone a gun, even if they have passed a background check. Firearms dealers always have the option to refuse a sale. But she also remembers selling a gun to someone who later killed himself, and she did not see any red flags. |
| She remembers him talking about the death of his dog, and comforting him, but: “I did not have any inkling that he intended to kill himself.” | She remembers him talking about the death of his dog, and comforting him, but: “I did not have any inkling that he intended to kill himself.” |
| If I’d been educated about what to look for, perhaps I would have seen something more that I didn’t see. Or if, you know, I had like a script of something you might say to somebody.” | If I’d been educated about what to look for, perhaps I would have seen something more that I didn’t see. Or if, you know, I had like a script of something you might say to somebody.” |
| Vermont’s suicide prevention program is modelled on that of New Hampshire. In 2009, one New Hampshire gun store had three customers buy firearms and use them to kill themselves within the space of a week. The gun store owner began to work with public health experts to figure out what his store might have been able to do differently to prevent this tragedy. | Vermont’s suicide prevention program is modelled on that of New Hampshire. In 2009, one New Hampshire gun store had three customers buy firearms and use them to kill themselves within the space of a week. The gun store owner began to work with public health experts to figure out what his store might have been able to do differently to prevent this tragedy. |
| The result was the New Hampshire Gun Shop project, rolled out in 2011, which educates gun store employees about signs of suicide risk and how to use casual conversation with customers to check for red flags, as well as using gun stores as a place to spread public awareness about gun suicide and ways to get help. A study of the project found roughly half of gun stores in New Hampshire were displaying program materials. | The result was the New Hampshire Gun Shop project, rolled out in 2011, which educates gun store employees about signs of suicide risk and how to use casual conversation with customers to check for red flags, as well as using gun stores as a place to spread public awareness about gun suicide and ways to get help. A study of the project found roughly half of gun stores in New Hampshire were displaying program materials. |
| The ultimate effect of the effort on suicide rates has yet to be measured. But according to Cathy Barber, the director of the Means Matter suicide prevention campaign at the Harvard School of Public Health, variations of the New Hampshire model are being tested in at least 14 states, including Vermont. Ten more states are in early stages of developing the program, she said. | The ultimate effect of the effort on suicide rates has yet to be measured. But according to Cathy Barber, the director of the Means Matter suicide prevention campaign at the Harvard School of Public Health, variations of the New Hampshire model are being tested in at least 14 states, including Vermont. Ten more states are in early stages of developing the program, she said. |
| Because gun owners and their families are affected by suicide at higher rates than non-gun owners, taking an anti-gun approach to suicide prevention is, as Barber often puts it, “like sending an anti-gay group to do a suicide prevention campaign in the gay and lesbian community”. | Because gun owners and their families are affected by suicide at higher rates than non-gun owners, taking an anti-gun approach to suicide prevention is, as Barber often puts it, “like sending an anti-gay group to do a suicide prevention campaign in the gay and lesbian community”. |
| Vermont’s leading gun control group does back the new suicide prevention campaign. Ann Braden, the head of Gun Sense Vermont, said she was delighted when she heard Cutler bring up the New Hampshire Gun Shop Project at a state hearing. | Vermont’s leading gun control group does back the new suicide prevention campaign. Ann Braden, the head of Gun Sense Vermont, said she was delighted when she heard Cutler bring up the New Hampshire Gun Shop Project at a state hearing. |
| “It was like the world had become all sparkly,” she said. | “It was like the world had become all sparkly,” she said. |
| Her group will continue to push for a state universal background check law in 2017, she said. But she added that it was “very refreshing” to have her gun rights opponents working on a prevention program of their own, “rather than a no to everything”. | Her group will continue to push for a state universal background check law in 2017, she said. But she added that it was “very refreshing” to have her gun rights opponents working on a prevention program of their own, “rather than a no to everything”. |