The day of the Las Vegas shooting, I was exploring some trails along a river in Sandwich. Emerging into a large meadow, I found myself standing in front of a man with a rifle. He was with his son, who was about 12, also carrying a rifle. We chatted for a few minutes. I wished them a good hunt. They wished me a good hike.
The horrific shooting that took place hours later revealed once again how easy it is for almost anyone to obtain almost any type of firearm – and the potential for one individual to inflict unimaginable harm. Stronger gun laws will save lives. But while Washington remains deadlocked over gun control, and the U.S. contains more guns than people, we need to get to work now.
Gun owners are critical stakeholders to stop firearm deaths – not just mass shootings, but daily suicides, homicides and accidents that account for most gun deaths. To move the dial, let’s take our conversations beyond comfortable social media, policy and academic circles into shooting ranges, hunting clubs and firearm classes. We need to collaborate with and learn from people best positioned to advance life-saving messages and behaviors.
I experienced the potential for this approach firsthand this summer in Utah, where I worked on youth suicide prevention. Utah has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation. A main driver is easy access to firearms. Guns are deadly, quick and irreversible. About 85 percent of suicide attempts with a firearm are fatal, compared to less than 3 percent for the other most common methods.
With a massive shortage of mental health professionals, hospital emergency departments in Utah are flooded with youth who have made suicide attempts or are seriously contemplating doing so. Shadowing an ED social worker, I met parents who feared for their children’s safety. I knew from data that about half of those parents own guns – and 80 percent of youth who die by firearm suicide use a parent’s gun. So when I was invited to recommend what ED providers can do to help families in crisis, I focused on guns. Reviewing literature and best practices, I developed a protocol and set of messages for clinicians to use to help families reduce children’s access to firearms.
Concerned about whether the messages would resonate among my intended audience, I asked one of Utah’s top gun lobbyists for advice. He was glad to help. He showed me how to tailor my messages to best engage gun-owning families. He brought me to a shooting range so I could learn firsthand about safe gun handling, locks and storage. I also spoke with gun shop employees and hunters. Every firearm enthusiast with whom I spoke was concerned about suicide and eager to help with my project. I learned that gun owners have a strong culture around protecting the family, promoting responsible firearm handling, preventing unintentional shootings and encouraging friends to support friends – values well aligned with public health goals.
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As Dr. David Hemenway at Harvard’s Injury Control Research Center has taught me, transformational change in public health – from automobile crashes to air pollution – requires multi-faceted approaches. Can we get parents to more securely lock their firearms and store ammunition separately? Can gun shops better identify people with harmful intent? Can neighbors adopt “Friends Don’t Let Friends” messaging to temporarily store guns for a person who is struggling? These are ideas not just coming from those of us in academia or policy, but from gun owners themselves.
Over the past week I wondered how that father I saw that Sunday explained the Las Vegas shooting to his son. If my time getting to know gun owners in Utah was any indication, it was the same as everyone: shock, sadness and endless questions. When it comes to stemming gun violence, there are no easy answers. There is, however, an opportunity now to turn to one another in our common grief and humanity, and work together to save lives.
(Morissa Sobelson is a doctor of public health student at Harvard. She grew up in Concord.)