MISSOULA — The youth suicide rate in Montana was three times higher than the national rate between 2013 and 2017. In hopes of preventing more suicides, Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) is giving out free gun locks.
“The fatality rate with suicide attempt with a firearm is about 90% lethal,” said MCPS Superintendant Micah Hill.
The suicide prevention organization Project Tomorrow Montana reports the risk of suicide in homes with firearms is four to 10 times higher than in homes without guns.
“We're losing our youth. So it's really important that that firearm is unloaded, locked out of reach and sight of young people and teens and ammunition, locked and stored separately” explained Project Tomorrow Montana volunteer Dannette Fadness.
The free gun locks are providing MCPS with an opportunity to address the high suicide rates that youths are facing.
“We see this as a vehicle to help prevent suicide death, especially for our youth,” Hill told MTN.
Project Tomorrow Montana believes free gun locks will help increase the number of locks that are in homes with firearms.
“A lot of people might be held back by the cost of something, but these are all given out for no charge,” said Project Tomorrow Montana Suicide Prevention Coordinator Julie Hilley.
According to Project Tomorrow Montana, one challenge the group faces is that there's sometimes a stigma against gun locks.
“We're not giving these gun locks out for any other reason, but for safety. And that's the number, number one reason I think some individuals might have it in their mind that we are anti-gun or that we don't want guns, but that is not the case whatsoever,” Hilley explained.
Project Tomorrow Montana points to their SMART program as a means to both safe gun storage and suicide prevention.
- S: Secure all guns in your homes and vehicles
- M: Model responsible behavior around guns
- A: Ask about unsecured guns in other homes and vehicles
- R: Recognize the role of guns in suicide
- T: Telling your friends and neighbors about SMART.
There are both free trigger and cable locks available at Big Sky High School, Sentinel High School, Seeley-Swan Lake High School, Willard Alternative High School and Hellgate High School as well as at Missoula Public Health.
Learn more about suicide prevention and where to pick up a gun lock if you don’t have a student at https://projecttomorrowmt.org/.
There are numerous resources available to anyone struggling with their mental health, the most important part is recognizing the signs and asking for help.
Click here to visit the website for the Montana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness for information and resources about suicide prevention and awareness.
Call or text is 988, and you will be connected to the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis hotline.
