At least one aspect of gun violence is being tackled

Gun violence and what to do about it has been a central issue.

The shooting at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando that left 49 dead earlier this year once again had people looking at how we can stop mass shootings.

One gun shop owner turned the shooter away after getting a bad feeling about Omar Mateen, the 29-year-old security guard. But Mateen just went to another shop to get his rifle.

‘Terrorist-friendly’ system takes center stage after Orlando massacre

My idea of an app to allow gun shop owners to alert others to potentially dangerous gun buyers fizzled.

And so the long-standing debate continues, including here in Washington, where Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced he would request a bill to ban assault weapons and limit magazine capacity during the 2017 legislative session.

But there is some progress being made of preventing another aspect of gun violence — suicide.

Jacquelyn Clark told ABC 7 that that, yes, gun shop owners can do things to discourage people from taking their lives with firearms.

“We’re the ones selling firearms and if we can identify the people who shouldn’t have them, that can prevent a lot of problems right there,” she said.

The Colorado Gun Shop Project, which aims to get a suicide prevention message out to gun owners, recently met with emergency room doctors and suicide prevention workers to learn more about what they can do to stop gun-related suicides. Clark’s employees, for example, are all trained to recognize signs of suicide risk, ABC 7 reports. If an employee senses the person is considering suicide, they stop the sale.

Additionally, shop owners are starting to display posters and hand out pamphlets to help people understand and notice suicidal indications. At least 17 shops have prevention information on display, according to the state’s health department.

It’s too early as of yet to know if the group’s effort is making a difference, but it’s a start.

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