Primary Health Network Continues to Increase Safety and Awareness Through Gun Locks Program
Sharon, PA – In recognition of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month this September, Primary Health Network (PHN) is highlighting the continued growth of its gun lock program and its commitment to helping patients and families create safer homes. Since launching the initiative in 2025, PHN has distributed more than 7,000 free gun locks to patients across its service area.
The program was established to strengthen the connection between health-care, suicide prevention, and firearm safety. Through the initiative, PHN provides free gun locks to patients, generously donated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which provides services to eligible veterans. The program is now available to all PHN patients across its service area.
The initiative promotes safe firearm storage and provides patients and families with a practice resource that can help prevent firearm-related suicides and unintentional firearm injuries.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States in 2024, when 48,824 Americans died by suicide and an estimated 2.2 million adults attempted suicide. Suicide was also the second leading cause of death among people ages 15-34. Firearms were the most common method of suicide, accounting for approximately 57% of suicide deaths.
From 2020 to 2024, the firearm suicide rate increased by nearly 13%, reaching an all-time high in 2024. Suicide also continues to disproportionately affect rural communities, with the highest overall suicide rates occurring in the nation’s most rural counties.
Firearm safety is also an important component of preventing unintentional injuries. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), firearm injuries were among the five leading causes of death for people ages 1-44 in 2022 and were the leading cause of death among children and adolescents ages 1 to 19.
“As a hunter and father with children in my home, I believe responsible firearm ownership includes secure storage,” said Matthew Holtsclaw, Senior Director of Behavioral Health at Primary Health Network. “Through PHN’s partnership with the VA, we’re helping make that responsibility easier for families across our communities. Every lock distributed is an opportunity to protect a child, create critical time and distance during a crisis, and potentially save a life.”
By encouraging open conversations and collaborating with community partners, PHN is working to increase awareness, reduce stigma, help individuals recognize warning signs, and connect people with behavioral health support when they need it most. During Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and throughout the year, PHN remains committed to advancing suicide prevention through initiatives like its gun lock program, promoting responsible firearm safety, and helping create safer, healthier communities.
For more information or to request a free gun lock, contact your local Primary Health Network (PHN) health center or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) office.
For more information about Primary Health Network and its services, please visit primary-health.net.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. For free, confidential mental health support, call, text, or chat 988. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is confidential and available 24/7/365, from any land line, cell phone, or voice-over internet device in the United States. Call services are available in Spanish, with interpretation services in over 150 languages.
Primary Health Network, one of Pennsylvania’s largest community health centers.
