The Office of Suicide Prevention prioritizes suicide prevention and firearm safety through the Colorado Gun Shop Project (GSP). The GSP is an education and awareness project that partners with firearm advocates, gun shops, firing ranges, and other members of the firearm community to adopt and promote a firearm safety and suicide prevention message. The core message of this program is that temporarily limiting a suicidal individual’s access to firearms is a critical aspect of firearm safety. The Office uses its federal funding awards to fund grantees across the state to perform this work locally. At its heart, the Gun Shop Project is a grassroots, community-led effort.
The GSP builds buy-in from the firearm community to serve as partners in suicide prevention. The project identifies and funds community-based firearm advocates with a passion for suicide prevention, who then conduct outreach to firearm retailers, gun ranges, sportsmans clubs, veterans and first responder organizations, and relevant community-based organizations and events. The goal of this outreach is to provide the firearm community with suicide prevention resources, including safe storage messaging, displayable posters/materials, and gun locks.
Grantees funded by the Office of Suicide Prevention coordinate the project in 48 Colorado counties; the Veterans Affairs Western Colorado Health Care provides outreach to counties within their Colorado region; and staff within the Office of Suicide Prevention provide direct outreach and support to the remaining counties. Since 2020, the Office has funded outreach to an annual average of 310 firearm retailers, gun ranges, veteran-serving organizations, and first-responder organizations in Colorado.
The University of Colorado is currently preparing a full evaluation of the Gun Shop Project, with initial data projected to be released by fall 2024.
2024 GSP Grant Funded Counties
Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca Bent, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Clear Creek, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Denver, Douglas, Eagle, Elbert, El Paso, Fremont, Garfield, Gilpin, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Mineral, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Ouray, Park, Phillips, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Grande, Saguache,San Miguel, Sedgwick, Summit, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma
VA Western Colorado Health Care Region
Delta, Dolores, Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Mesa, Moffat, Montrose, Ouray, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt, San Juan, San Miguel
For more information about the Gun Shop Project, visit the Office of Gun Violence Prevention Gun Shop Project & retailer partnerships page.