Ending Family Fire with
Safer Firearm Storage

Deaths by suicide are on the rise, both in Missouri and throughout the country. The reasons are complex and vary by geography, age, and background. Even so, there is a common thread that runs through this tragic issue – firearms. Guns are by far the leading means of suicide, and because of their lethality, the vast majority (~85%) of attempts end in death. Due to their ease of use and accessibility, a short moment of despair all too often leads to a permanent tragedy. As state and national momentum grows to address the drastic rise in suicides, confronting the role that firearms play in this issue is an essential part of overall suicide reduction efforts.

In the spring of 2022, the Foundation launched End Family Fire Missouri, a two-year campaign in partnership with the Ad Council and Brady designed to raise awareness of the risks of unsecured firearms in the home in relation to gun suicide. The effort is dedicated to reducing firearm deaths and injuries by encouraging safer storage practices among gun owners. The campaign is strictly non-partisan and, most importantly, brings firearm owners into the conversation to be part of the solution.

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“The legacy of a single suicide tears through a community, leaving untold damage in its wake. We all have a part to play in preventing suicides and making firearm safety a part of that effort makes perfect sense.”

- Jessi LaRose, MFH Senior Strategist-Initiatives

This work is one piece of the Foundation’s Firearm Suicide Prevention initiative. Created in 2020, the effort focuses specifically on firearms because an average of 61% of suicides in the state are completed with a gun, and yet among some groups there is hesitancy to include firearms and safer storage as part of the broader discussion. We are working to reduce firearm suicides in targeted populations, promote effective messaging that shifts the narrative, and increase focus on this issue within statewide comprehensive suicide prevention work that is in development.

Visit End Family Fire Missouri to learn more about suicide prevention, safe firearm storage, and to view additional content from the campaign.

In September, our Missouri Firearm Suicide Prevention Learning Cohort convened in person for the first time since the start of their two-year grants, which began in February of 2021. Hailing from across our region, the grantees connected at our convening center for three days, sharing updates and learnings from their local efforts, their vision for future directions and implementation approaches, and networking and connecting across organizations. The next step for many of these groups are MFH implementation grants that will help them put their ideas into practice within their communities.