NH Firearm Safety Coalition

In 2009, in less than a week, three people (with no connection to each other) bought a firearm from the same store – each died by suicide within hours of their purchase. These events brough together champions of injury prevention and firearm safety in NH, including Elaine Frank from Dartmouth Injury Prevention Center and Ralph Demicco, a gun shop owner in the state. Together, Elaine and Frank formed a coalition of suicide prevention, mental health, and public health experts as well as representatives from the firearm community, legislators, law enforcement, and other parties interested in reducing firearm suicide deaths.

This group worked to develop educational materials primarily directed toward gun shop owners to raise awareness about the risk of suicide related to firearms. This unique initiative has come to be known as the NH Gun Shop Project– a collaborative effort to involve gun shop and firing range owners, their employees, and their customers in preventing suicide. The project has been adapted by groups in about two dozen states across the country as well as nationally by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and has become internationally recognized for its innovation and collaboration.