In the aftermath of the devastating Lewiston tragedy, lawmakers in Augusta are in the process of considering a number of bills that intend to reduce gun violence in our communities and ensure that an event like this never happens again in Maine.

But the sad truth is that gun violence in our state goes far beyond this mass shooting, often in ways that don’t make headlines. According to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly nine out of 10 firearm-related deaths in our state are by suicide. This number appears to be rising. In 2021 – the most recent year for which data is available – the rate of gun deaths by suicide rose by 29.7% over the previous year.

This is a public health crisis. When we look at gun violence in Maine, it is critical that we look at programs that effectively enhance suicide prevention.

One such measure is L.D. 2237, sponsored by Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross. It includes provisions to implement the Gun Shop Project here in Maine, which would bring suicide prevention awareness to the point of sale, when a person in crisis goes to a gun shop looking to secure the means to harm themselves.

The Gun Shop Project was first developed through a partnership between the New Hampshire Firearms Safety Coalition and the Means Matter program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Its founder, Ralph Demicco, is a former gun shop owner who was devastated back in 2009 when, in less than a week, three separate people – with no connection to each other – bought a firearm from his store and used that weapon to take their own lives within hours of purchase.

In response to these tragedies, Demicco went around to local shops and asked if they would be willing to display posters and give out suicide awareness cards. Many gun shops welcomed the training, and now this important support for gun shop owners, their employees and consumers has been made available in more than a dozen states.

L.D. 2237 would direct the Maine Department of Public Safety in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a free, voluntary training program for gun shop owners and their employees to recognize the clinical signs and symptoms of someone in a suicidal crisis. As in other states, the training would consist of varied materials including printed guides, awareness posters and video trainings for gun shop owners to offer in their stores.

These evidence-based practices can help staff identify an individual in crisis and empower them to decline a sale if they are concerned about a customer’s well-being. Gun shops may also offer information about supportive resources for any customer who is turned away and seemingly in need of help.

Statistics show that approximately 90% of people who have attempted suicide and survive do not go on to die from suicide, indicating that many such crises are transient and treatable so long as lethal means are not readily available. This is where the Gun Shop Project could help save lives here in Maine.

Initiatives to improve suicide prevention should be a top priority for all state lawmakers. L.D. 2237 was unanimously endorsed by the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee and both the House and Senate. I urge my colleagues on the budget-writing committee to fund this measure in the coming weeks.

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