A suicide prevention program that helps people safely store firearms and medications is expanding statewide.
Safer Communities Montana started near Helena about seven years ago.
The program’s aim is simple, help people lock up guns and medications so they’re harder to access during a crisis. That pause can save lives, says Jakob Miles with the Lewis and Clark County Public Health Department.
“There can be months or years of buildup to that point, but once they’ve made that point, almost 50% of them will make the attempt within 10 minutes,” Mile says.
The program gives away gun locks, lockboxes, locking pill bottles and drug deactivation kits.
But it’s expanding another service – safe storage sites for gun owners. If someone is struggling with suicidal thoughts, they can store their guns out of the house in a safe location and pick them up when they’re feeling better.
Safer Communities funding has helped local veteran organizations buy gun safes to provide that service.
The program started with one site in Deer Lodge but has since expanded to Helena, Billings and will be in Miles City soon.
“So here in the next couple of weeks, we’ll be at four advertised safe storage locations and we will be continuing to work to establish more of them," Miles says.
Miles says the program is working with the National Guard to potentially use armory sites for safe storage and gun shop owners, who were uncertain about the legality.
But federal officials issued a memo clarifying that gun shops can provide the service. Miles hopes that will help expand access across the state.
