NEWTOWN, Conn. – The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), in partnership with mental health experts from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and George Washington University, today released a recorded webinar video to help parents of teens recognize signs that their children may be facing mental health challenges—and share resources on how to talk to kids about mental health, make homes safer for those who may be at risk and help reduce the risk of suicide among teens.

“Studies show that suicide is preventable and simple actions like storing firearms securely when not in use can help save a life,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF’s President and CEO.

The video, which aired live from NSSF and Project ChildSafe’s Facebook page, features a panel discussion between Dr. Doreen Marshall, AFSP’s Vice President of Mission Engagement, and Dr. Sherry Molock, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at George Washington University, on signs teens exhibit when they are dealing with challenges to their mental health, including having thoughts of self-harm. Both experts emphasize the importance of parents having conversations with their kids if they sense their children are struggling.

Dr. Molock and Dr. Marshall encourage parents to watch for warning signs that their teen may be experiencing mental health challenges by observing what they say, how they behave and the moods they project. According to these experts, the most important things parents can do if they recognize any of these signs are to have a conversation with their kids and be proactive in preventing access to potential means of self-harm.

“We know many teens may be thinking about suicide, so talking about it with our kids—before it becomes a crisis—is really important,” Dr. Marshall says. “It may sound difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Talking openly with our young people about mental health, just as we would physical health, can be the key to preventing a crisis, and saving a life.”

Dr. Molock agrees, emphasizing that talking about mental health and self-harm with our kids does not cause them to attempt suicide.

“Many kids are actually relieved to be able to talk about it, so let the young person know you can handle the discussion, and you’re willing to do anything to keep them safe,” Dr. Molock says.

Also important is creating “time and distance” between a person having thoughts of suicide and a method of harm. When access to a potential lethal means is interrupted, it creates an opportunity for the person to change their mind and seek professional care. Recognizing that firearms are sometimes involved in suicide attempts, NSSF’s Bartozzi urges gun-owning parents to practice safe firearm storage and learn about available secure storage options. Read more

From Jim Shepherd…

It’s safe to say that the outdoor community is not always in agreement on much of anything. Most of us think in terms of groups of unified individuals with common interests when many of the sub-groups in that collective term are actually divided.

Consider, for example, the broad term “hunter”. For most, the Webster definition “a person or animal that hunts” about sums it up.

Hunters, however, divide that category into distinct sub-groups.

They fragment into groups according to what they use to hunt (bow, rifle, shotgun, pistol, black powder, etc., etc., etc), what they’re hunting (“meat” versus “trophy”) and if that weren’t enough, “modern” versus “primitive” and “stalk” versus “stand/blind”.

And let’s not forget the distinction between the land where they hunt (public/private).

That’s why it is very significant that a majority of outdoor organizations, whether focused on conservation or the Constitution, have lined up in solidarity to oppose the Biden administration’s proposed nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

The reason they’re unified against David Chipman is simple: they all agree Mr. Chipman cannot be trusted to follow the law.

His mandate from President Biden, if he were approved, would be to the contrary. He would be expected to reinterpret the existing laws in order to expand the ATF’s abilities to squeeze the rights of law-abiding gun owners and the gun industry in any way possible.

His unsuitability for a job that should require even-handed enforcement of the law is unquestioned in this industry.

Dozens of conservation and membership organizations have written letters asking Senators to oppose the nomination. The NRA and the NSSF are only two of the groups spending significant amounts of money to remind moderate Democrats that supporting wouldn’t be just another party-line decision. A vote for affirm Chipman, they say, is they’re essentially voting against gun owners and Second Amendment supporters in their home states. You know, the people who helped vote them into office.

Or as the NSSF’s new ad says, “don’t put the fox in charge of the chicken house.”

For an organization that prefers doing its work without attention, it’s a significant commitment.

In fact, the NSSF’s Larry Keane calls the decision to create a television ad for West Virginia and Maine “monumental”. Taking the opposition public, he says, should “remind the senators that Chipman’s nomination is a threat to jobs, revenue and, not the least- the ability of law-abiding citizens to exercise their God-given Second Amendment rights.”

Despite a furor even the mainstream can’t totally ignore, there’s still no definite word on how Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.VA), Krysten Sinema (D-AZ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Angus King (I-Maine) will vote.

And Senator John Tester (D-MT) says he’s “still continuing to review David Chipman’s record and testimony to ensure he would support our brave law enforcement officers and respect Montanans’ Second Amendment rights.”

So what can we do? Plenty. While there’s still no definitive time set for a vote on the Chipman nomination it will likely be a time when we’re all distracted by other happenings.

Rather than wait until that time, you need to contact your state senators as well as the moderate Democrats and let them know that you, like much of America, are watching and hoping they will vote down the nomination.

Here’s the web address with the most information on how to contact each Senator in Washington. As always, be polite and keep your messages to the point. If you decide to call, you can call the Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121 and ask them to connect you directly with the Senate offices.

Make your voice heard.

If the Biden presidency had a brand slogan, it might be: Why choose sanity when a crisis will do? With gas shortages and fuel prices soaring, a southern border that looks like a scene out of World War Z, rockets lighting up the Middle East, China on the move, inflation set to surge and our cities under siege with rampant crime, what’s a POTUS to do? How about nominate the most anti-gun zealot ever to head the 5,100-employee Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. By selecting Bloomberg toady David Chipman, an anti-gun activist who also worked for Gifford’s gun control group, Biden has just given a middle finger to America’s 150 million gun owners.

To read the rest of the column click here.