Meet Chuck Lovelace, a seasoned shooter with 45 years of experience, calling Park Falls, Wisconsin his home. Chuck’s meticulous craftsmanship revolves around restoring firearms, protecting them from the ravages of time, neglect, and even fire, ensuring their functionality for generations to come.
However, beneath his passion for firearms lies a poignant reality. Some of the weapons he lovingly restored were tragically used by friends, family members, fellow veterans, and even his son’s high school acquaintances to end their own lives. One such suicide weighs heavily on Chuck Lovelace’s heart – that of a close friend, a nurse and mother of three, who concealed her inner turmoil from those who cared about her.
Experts remind us that every suicide sends shockwaves through the lives of at least two dozen individuals, and Chuck Lovelace is no exception. He continues to grapple with the profound impact of these tragic losses.
Seven years ago, against this backdrop of sorrow, Chuck Lovelace received a compelling proposition – to lead an initiative aimed at reducing gun-related suicides in Wisconsin, starting right in his own gun store. The idea was beautifully simple yet potent: educate gun store staff to be exceptionally attentive to signs of potential suicidal intent, encourage them to use discretion when refusing sales, and provide temporary gun storage for those who wished to remove firearms from their homes. This service would be offered without judgment, intrusive questions, or police involvement.
Today, nearly 40 gun shops across Wisconsin actively participate in the “Gun Shop Project,” a suicide prevention education program. Many of these stores also offer temporary gun storage through the “Safe Storage Initiative.” Originating as a grassroots movement in New Hampshire, this effort has now spread to more than 20 states.
Gun store owners have long grappled with the unsettling issue of customer suicides, whether they occurred on their shooting ranges or years after the customer left the store. Suicide prevention experts hail these initiatives, which arise from within the gun-owning community itself, as crucial, offering a potential roadmap for finding common ground on the issue of gun-related deaths.
The urgency surrounding suicide prevention is growing, not just in Wisconsin but nationwide. Recent data reveals a record number of suicides both in Wisconsin and across the country, with Wisconsin witnessing over 500 gun suicides for the first time in its history.
To bolster these anti-suicide efforts, a bill was introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature earlier this year. This legislation offers grants to support gun shops in purchasing gun safes, training employees, and promoting the initiative. While the bill enjoys bipartisan sponsorship – a rarity in Wisconsin politics regarding gun issues – its funding remains uncertain, with the required $150,000 conspicuously absent from both the Republican-led budget and Governor Tony Evers’ signed budget. Nevertheless, since the program was not initiated by the government, it seems poised to continue, albeit at a slower pace, thanks to the continued support of gun stores across Wisconsin, backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Milwaukee.
Chuck Lovelace’s shop has held a modest number of guns through the program over seven years. However, for him, if this endeavor saves even one life, the entire seven-year investment is unequivocally worthwhile because, as he asserts, every life is precious.
Discussing suicide remains a sensitive subject, especially among gun owners who fear it could lead to stricter firearms regulations. Lovelace argues that addressing gun suicides is not anti-gun but pro-humanity, emphasizing that silence is costing lives.
Wisconsin has witnessed a 41% increase in suicides from 2004 to 2022, with the rate of firearm suicides rising slightly faster than other methods. Firearms are now the most common means of suicide in Wisconsin, accounting for 58% of all suicides in 2022. Veterans, in particular, are disproportionately likely to use guns to take their own lives, constituting 70% of all veteran suicides.
For Chuck Lovelace, who served in the Army and completed a tour in Afghanistan 13 years ago, this issue is deeply personal and urgent. He grapples with the traumas of his military service and routinely seeks support through therapy and conversations with friends.
The anti-suicide effort sprouted in 2016 when Lovelace was approached by a high school friend, proposing the idea of piloting a suicide prevention effort in his gun store, then located in Dane County. Inspired by similar initiatives in other states, this friend’s idea aimed to make a positive impact in Wisconsin.
The concept itself was born from Jean Papalia, a retired Madison police officer with 26 years of service, who sought to redirect her energies toward a meaningful cause. She focused on a demographic where the need was greatest: white males aged 40 and older, according to state health data, who experienced significantly higher rates of gun suicides compared to other demographic groups.
The Gun Shop Project’s origins trace back to 2009 at Riley’s Sports Shop in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Following three suicides linked to firearms purchased at the store in just one week, the owner initiated additional training for staff. This event catalyzed the development of the Gun Shop Project.
In every state where the program has gained traction, there exists a dedicated gun store owner championing the cause, willing to stake their credibility on it. In Wisconsin, that champion is Chuck Lovelace, who possesses equal fervor for firearms and mental health advocacy.
Shortly before committing his shop to this pilot program, a traumatic incident occurred that neither Chuck Lovelace nor his wife Jennifer can forget. In 2015, a young man in his mid-20s visited their store to purchase a firearm. Unbeknownst to them, he had recently lost his job. He later used that firearm to take his own life.
Gun store clerks are now trained to recognize signs of potential suicidal intent, such as customers who lack a specific model preference or those purchasing minimal ammunition. Jennifer Lovelace, reflecting on that sale, admits she had a nagging feeling but did not act on it at the time. Today, she affirms that she would not proceed with such a sale.
A short while later, another regular customer and friend of the Lovelaces succumbed to suicide. Struggling with depression, he entrusted all his firearms to a family member, except for one broken rifle, which he managed to repair sufficiently to fire once. These tragedies galvanized Chuck Lovelace to expand his efforts beyond training his family and employees to detect potential suicidal customers.
The concept of turning his store into a secure firearms storage facility for individuals in crisis was conceived during a suicide prevention luncheon in Madison. On the back of a napkin, Lovelace sketched out a plan inspired
by his military experience: individuals bringing in firearms must be accompanied by a trusted person, a friend or family member. No questions are asked, and the circumstances remain confidential. Lovelace accepts firearms 24/7 because he resides in the same building as his store. When individuals retrieve their firearms, they must return with the same trusted person, providing assurance that the crisis has abated. Again, no questions are posed upon the return of the firearms.
Lovelace’s dedication to this cause earned recognition from the Dane County suicide prevention group, Safe Communities Madison, in 2017. Despite identifying as conservative, Lovelace was moved by the acknowledgment from a group in a liberal county, viewing it as a bridge between political, ideological, and gun ownership divides.
While suicide prevention initiatives in gun stores may be relatively recent, the practice of relying on family, friends, or neighbors to hold firearms during crises has likely existed for as long as firearms themselves. Research has indicated that approximately one-third of gun owners have at some point held guns for someone else, often during challenging times involving a loved one’s death, problematic adolescent years, or dementia-related issues. Providing individuals with an alternative to immediate access to firearms during a crisis can be a life-saving intervention.
Indeed, research underscores the importance of creating distance between an individual and a firearm during times of crisis, as not all suicide attempts are made by individuals with diagnosed mental illnesses. Offering alternatives can deter impulsive acts, potentially saving lives.
While it is true that someone determined to end their life will find a way, research shows that if a suicide attempt is not immediately fatal, only a small minority—roughly one in ten—will go on to die by suicide. However, if the initial attempt involves a firearm, the likelihood of survival is exceedingly low, as approximately 90% of individuals who attempt suicide with a firearm do not survive.”
