Firearm Safety Pledge
Safety Risks & Military Families
1.

Military families experience unique deployment related stressors that may increase safety risk:❏ Heightened anxiety for the setvice member and the family❏ Longer/unpredictable work hours❏ Family/child care issues during time of separation❏ New financial challenges❏ Separation from family support❏ Decreased community connections❏ Single spouse maintaining household

2.

Recognizing situations that may increase risk in your home is an essential component of
pre-deployment preparation

3.

Are there additional deployment related factors that that may increase risk in your homeduring this upcoming deployment?

Resources
Command Resources:
Medical/Chaplain/Family Services CenterDoD

Military Crisis Line: Vets-4Warriors
Defense Suicide Prevention Office
Military One Source:
After Deployment:
Guard & Reserve:
Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program:

1-800-273-8255, Press "1"
24/7 peer support (855-838-8255); vets4warriors.com
http://suicideoutreach.org /http://www.militaryonesource.mil /http://www.afterdeployment.org
http://www.dcoe.mil/Families/Guard _and_Reserve.aspx
http://www.yellowribbon.mil/Personal Firearm Safety Planning1.

Do you have children living in your home?

Yes or No

2.

Do you ever have children visiting your home?

Yes or No

3.

Does your child visit other houses?

Yes or No

4.

What actions have you taken to keep children safe with respect to fireanns?

5.

How does your family safety plan change when a spouse is deployed?

Continued

Gun Communication
1.

What general concerns would you like to discuss with your spouse or other family members regarding
personal firearms stored in your home and/or the homes of friends/family?

2.

What specific concerns would you like to discuss, with your spouse or other family members, regarding
personal firearm safety during period of upcoming deployment?

3.

What specific concerns would you like to discuss regarding changing risk presented by children as theygrow?
❏ Toddler:❏ Elementary School:❏ Junior high/high school:

Personal Firearm Safety Plan for the Home (check when complete)
1. When you develop your personal firearm safety plan, you must consider the following as they may
increase the level of risk in your home:❏ Presence of children in the home
❏ Age of children in the home❏ Spouse familiarity with personal firearms❏ Deployment status of active service member❏ Medical and/or Mental Health status of family members in the home
❏ Substance abuse problems in the home
2. Product — Firearm Safety Practices❏ Properly service your firearms❏ Dispose or disable firearms when they are no longer serviceable❏ Apply properly fitted trigger locks/cable to properly stored unloaded weapons
3. Person — Personal Firearm Safety Practices❏ Attend weapons safety courses as needed❏ If there are medical, mental health, or substance related factors that may increase the risk ofmaintaining firearm in home, then pursue alternate storage plan (i.e. command storage in basearmory etc.)
4.

Practice — Family Safety Practices/Rules❏ Keep personal firearms in locked gun cabinet❏ Keep ammunition locked separately and inaccessible to unintended users❏ Practice good Gun Communication and discuss issues of firearm safety with your spouse, friends, andchildren when appropriate

Personal Firearm Safety Pledge❏ I will practice good “Gun Communication” and discuss personal firearm safety plans with my spouse,children (when indicated) and family/friends (when indicated).
❏ I will implement a comprehensive Firearm Safety Plan in my home and review it regularly as

risks change.
❏ I will find alternate storage locations for personal firearms in the event of problems suchas severe
medical illness, substance abuse or mental illness in order to minimize the risk of suicide or violencein my home.
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