Mental Health Plan

The best way to never use this plan is to have preventative measures in place that help keep your mental health in a good spot. Athletes spend a lot of time on injury prevention, so why not spend a little time putting things in place to keep your mental health in a good place? This can look like scheduling regular time for lead therapy shooting on the range, getting outside for some exercise, or reading. We encourage you to make time for whatever works for you. Having regularly scheduled check-ins with free tools like our mental health screenings is also not a bad idea. Even if you’re feeling great today, you can use it as a baseline score for when you feel like you’re a little off-target with your mental health.

It is also a great idea to Cause A Pause, where you put an image of a loved one or a symbol of something that would make you pause if you were in a dark place. Put this image or symbol where you’re storing your firearm. This imagery provides another preventative measure against impulsive actions.

It’s not easy to admit when you’re having a rough time. It helps to have a friend that you can trust who can help get you out of the rut or even help you identify if you need to consider moving down the list on this plan and temporarily removing access to your firearms. Ideally, this would look like going on a hike and then using that check-in to take a free screening to check in on yourself.

 Example: My wife can be the one who can suggest temporarily changing the gun safe combination.

It’s important to involve others in this plan. They can be a resource to help identify when you’re a little off and might need a little more focus on the things that help keep you mentally healthy or be the ones to help temporarily remove access to you if you’re entering a temporary mental health crisis. Even if the first people who come to mind for this role aren’t comfortable with guns, you can involve them in the process.

Medications can alter your mental state. Every pharmaceutical TV ad shows many precautionary symptoms, so why chance it? If you’re about to take a new medication that has the slightest chance to alter the way you think. It’s probably a good idea to send your guns in for a cleaning or somewhere else for a little bit until you know how that medication impacts you.

Time and space matter, as suicidal crises are often brief and temporary. By delaying access to means, individuals have more time to reconsider their actions, seek help, or for the suicidal impulse to pass.

Some people like to have a plan in place with a pre-decided amount of time, such as 14 days, 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days. That way, the individual you’re trusting to remove your access temporarily just has to fulfill your predetermined agreement before they return the access to you.

This is not legal advice. Please check your local laws to determine the best route for you and the person or store taking your firearms or critical firing components.

This highlights the importance of each gun accessing individual filling out a mental health plan that they are comfortable with when they are in a normal state. That way, you can execute their plan to temporarily remove their access in a way they’re most comfortable with.

We often plan ahead for medical changes that will affect our current cognitive ability. Setting out a plan for your firearms in your current state of sound mind could help loved ones navigate this a lot easier.

It’s also a great idea to have a plan for each of your firearms if you pass away. Being specific about which gun for those who might not be as familiar with your firearms can help.