September is Suicide Prevention Awareness month.
What a great way to talk about a non-profit organization called Walk the Talk America. This organization is at the forefront of mental health and firearm safety. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, “on average there are 130 suicides per day” (AFSP, 2020). Out of all suicides, two-thirds are firearm deaths.
“Wyoming has the highest suicide rate in the nation, with a rate of 29.4 deaths per 100,000 residents compared to the national average of 14.5 deaths per 100,000 people. 65% of all Wyoming suicides had a firearm as the primary means” (WDH, 2021).
Walk the Talk America aspires to reduce firearm suicides and other negative incidents associated with firearm ownership. They are specifically trying to help those that live with mental illness, while also trying to bring knowledge and safety to those that are firearm owners. Their website offers free firearm cultural competency training, mental health flyers that are distributed to many firearm shops, along with 13 free and anonymous mental health screenings.
“1 in 5 U.S. adults experience a mental illness in any given year” (CDC, 2022). By accessing this resource, we can be more aware of our mental health and the relationship with firearms. Our goal is not to take firearms away, it is to educate everyone on safety practices and to reduce suicide. For more information on these resources visit walkthetalkamerica.org.
Citations:
Suicide and self-harm. Injury in Wyoming. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://sites.google.com/wyo.gov/wyinjurydata/suicide-and-self-harm
Suicide prevention. Wyoming Department of Health. (2022, July 19). Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/prevention/wivpp/suicide-prevention/
What we’ve learned. Walk The Talk America. (2022, June 2). Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://walkthetalkamerica.org/what-we-learned/
(This is a paid advertisement and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Wyo4News management and staff. We reserve the right to delete any, and all, comments. If your business would like to advertise with Wyo4News please contact our sales team here.)
