“Like a friend can be checked on, a gun can be checked in”


What is Project Safeguard?

The local Project Safegaurd is teaming up with The Captain John D. Mason Veteran Peer Outreach Program (part of the Medical College of Wisconsin), Community for Hope and the N.E.W. Mental Health Connection’s adult suicide prevention initiative to promote engagement in Wisconsin’s Gun Shop Project and Safe Storage Program, called Live Today – Put it Away.
“An adult suicide prevention initiative to promote engagement in Wisconsin’s Gun Shop Project and Safe Storage Program”
The Gun Shop Project and Safe Storage Program were adopted in Wisconsin thanks to Chuck Lovelace, lead gunsmith, and owner of Essential Shooting Supplies, LLC, along with Safe Communities Madison-Dane County, and is comprised of two parts:
- The Gun Shop Project is an educational piece where we provide gun shop owners and their staff training and resources on suicide prevention, such as tips for staff – how to identify warning signs and effectively handle those situations, as well as useful documents like 11 commandments of gun ownership, and suicide prevention resources you can give to customers upon purchase or rental of a firearm, or recreationally shooting at the range, in order to help prevent suicide.
- The Safe Storage Program is where participating gun shop/range who provide voluntary, temporary, safe storage of a firearm can be added to an interactive map for Veterans or individuals experiencing a temporary crisis
Find your local participating Gun Shop Here

Why Project Safeguard?
Benefits of joining the program include, but are not limited to:
- An increase in sales of safety items
- An increase in sales of training and safety classes
- Training on signs of potential crisis and what to do in those situations
- Provided materials about suicide prevention
- Becoming a resource for people in the community who ask, “Where can I store my firearm in a temporary crisis?”
- Be listed on our website as a preferred gun shop owner and Coalition of Veteran Friendly Gun Shops member

Join us Today
To join others across the state on the Safe Storage interactive map and/or participate in the Project Safeguard Gun Shop suicide prevention training, all we need from you is:
- Business owner’s name
- Business Name
- Phone number and email address
Other Resources
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Contact
| Sarah Danahy
Executive Director
Community for Hope
Oshkosh, WI 54901
920-230-4840 |
Marissa Mielke
Suicide Prevention Team
John H. Bradley VA CBOC
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 809-4125 |
|
Chuck Lovelace
Owner, Lead Gunsmith / Firearms Instructor
Essential Shooting Supplies, LLC
311 Saunders Avenue
Park Falls, WI 54552
Office: (715) 518-9266 |
Sarah Bassing-Sutton
Project Zero: Every 1 Matters
N.E.W. Mental Health Connection
Appleton, WI
920-420-4903 |