Reduce the Risk of Gun Violence This September: Suicide Prevention and School Safety

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Reduce the Risk

This summer, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
(Cal OES) launched Reduce the Risk, a statewide campaign to teach communities about California’s nine protection orders. Protection orders are lifesaving tools that give loved ones and friends a way to act to prevent violence when there are warning signs. Protection orders provide safeguards including temporarily removing guns from people in crisis, helping to prevent suicides, mass shootings and other forms of gun violence.

GET THE FACTS

SEPTEMBER IS SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH

Protect Your Loved Ones

Protection orders don’t just protect you from others, they can also protect people who might harm themselves by giving them the time and space to heal.
Each year, more than half of all firearm deaths in California are suicides. This September, Suicide Prevention Month, we are raising awareness throughout the state about gun violence restraining orders (GVROs), the only protection order proven to help prevent suicide.

More on Gun Violence & Suicide:

In general, people who own handguns are almost 4x more likely to die by suicide than people who don't.

If a woman has a gun, her chance of dying by suicide is much higher, about 35 times more. For first-time male gun owners, it’s about 8 times more.

About 40% of GVROs were used in California between 2016-2018 for situations where a person threatened suicide. Once the orders were served, no suicides occurred among any of the people who filed.

KEEPING STUDENTS SAFE

Preventing Gun Violence At School

Over the past decade, school violence has become a significant concern for families across the country. As kids head back to school this fall, it’s important to have open and honest conversations about keeping children and our communities safe. Here are some important tips:

TIP ONE
Brush Up On California’s Safe Storage Laws.

76% of school firearm violence has been carried out by people under 18 who used guns from the home of a parent or close relative. Storing guns properly helps reduce gun violence.

TIP TWO
See Something? Say Something.

Nearly all school shooters showed warning signs that concerned others. Teach your children to speak up for themselves and others when they see something that could be threatening.

TIP THREE
Find and Share Resources.

When you aren’t sure what to do, there are resources to help. Visit the resources page on our website or check out organizations like Sandy Hook Promise to learn how you can prevent violence in your neighborhood.

JOIN US FOR A FREE WEBINAR

Firearm Suicide Prevention

Reduce the Risk is committed to educating communities about protection orders. In honor of Suicide Prevention month, we will host a free educational webinar to share more information about firearm suicide prevention and the role GVROs play in helping stop these tragedies.
Stay tuned, or subscribe for more updates.

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Rancho Bernardo
High School Principal,
Hans Becker

While safe storage laws, required background checks and age limits for purchasing guns all help prevent mass violence, it’s also critical for students to have trusted advisors they can turn to when they need to report a concern.

In 2024, when a student at Rancho Bernardo High School came to Principal Hans Becker with concerns that someone was threatening to harm high school students, Principal Becker took immediate action.

Becker took the concerns seriously and made law enforcement aware of the situation. The police, who were already familiar with gun violence restraining orders (GVROs), knew this was a time sensitive and life-threatening situation that called for immediate intervention. Later that day, a GVRO was filed, and guns were removed from the person who was threatening to harm others.

Thanks to the students who felt comfortable expressing their concerns to Principal Becker, and thanks to the officers who responded swiftly, the GVRO prevented the unthinkable.

MEET OUR CHAMPIONS ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBER

Brad Welch

Reduce the Risk is a community-informed outreach effort guided by insights from our Champions Advisory Council. The council consists of a wide range of law enforcement and healthcare professionals, including Chief Deputy Brad Welch of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Welch was on duty the night of the Isla Vista shooting in 2014, when a person in crisis carried out an act of mass violence.

Watch this interview with Chief Deputy Welch to learn more about the experience, and how a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) could help prevent acts like this in the future.

To learn more about Reduce the Risk and how you can prevent gun violence in your community, visit www.ReduceTheRisk.ca.gov.

If you know someone who might find this information helpful, please forward this newsletter and refer them to our site for in-person and virtual training opportunities. You can also contact our team for subject matter experts for media interviews.

ReduceTheRisk@caloes.ca.gov