El Paso County Sheriff talks safe gun storage for suicide prevention awareness month

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) is sharing the message of safe gun storage with the community.

EPSO is working with students from colorado college and the 'suicide prevention collaborative of El Paso County' hoping spreading that message will limit suicides.

Suicide is an issue that is more prevalent in El Paso County than in other areas. Guns are the leading cause.

EPSO hosted a workshop on safe gun storage to help gun owners reduce access for others to their firearms.

In 2021 there were 176 suicides investigated by the El Paso County Coroner, 114 of those with a gun. This is way up from 97 the year before and 102 in 2019.

Death by suicide is significant in this county and it's significantly caused by firearms.

EPSO's goal in the workshop is to have a chance at disrupting a perfect storm. Making it tougher for someone to get access to a way to end their life.

Cassandra Walton, a suicide prevention advocate, says that you are actually more likely to have an unsecured firearm used in suicide than in an act of protecting yourself or your home.

If you'd like to attend one of these workshops there are more of them. The next is this Saturday at the magnum shooting center north. They'll have all different sorts of safes out that gun owners can look at.