09-04-2025
Gun locks given away as part of veteran safety program
SHARON, Pa. (WKBN)- The Primary Health Network is bringing awareness to Veterans' mental health.
Their latest program is focused on gun safety by giving away gun locks.
The Primary Health Network's new Gun Locks Program aims to enhance gun safety within households, but also addresses a much bigger issue: the rise in veteran suicide rates.
PHN says the Veterans Affairs office donated the gun locks to provide to people in the Shenango Valley at no cost. Veterans are at a much higher risk of taking their own lives than those who have not served.
In 2022, the average rate was 17 veteran suicides a day. With the gun locks, PHN hopes it will help someone take a pause.
'We're giving trigger locks so that makes them stop and think, or they have to go through that extra step, and maybe they'll seek out some help from someone, or somebody will intervene on their behalf,' said George Pokrant, PHN VP of Patient Care.
The CDC reports that in 2020, there were nearly 20,000 unintentional firearm injuries in the to the National Safety Council, firearms are the second-leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S., with unintentional firearm injuries claiming the lives of nearly 400 children each year.
With that in mind, along with suicide rates among Veterans continuing to be a rising concern, PHN says the program has seen success so far.
'Not a lot of patients will come forward with a lot of detailed stories, but we do know that some of the patients who have taken locks saying that it's going to be safer for my family and my kids, and that's a big win right there, too, and that one patient who made the admission that you know it slowed him down. enough that he thought it only takes one person we save. That makes a difference.' Pokrant said.
The program is active in Beaver, Clarion, Lawrence, and Mercer Counties in Pennsylvania, and Ashtabula County, Ohio.
So far, they've given away 300 gun locks. PHN plans to give away more, so you can contact Primary Health Network to find out more.
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