Just Fucking Ask
If you’re asking: “Just Fucking Ask” what?, read on…
The Overwatch Project is coming at veteran suicide prevention from a new direction, using an approach that was successfully utilized to help solve another complex problem: drunk driving. We're building the equivalent of the “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” campaign for veterans, only instead of talking about alcohol and vehicles, we’re talking about firearms and suicide.
Daily Suicides20+
Veterans & Active Military die by suicide, every day
Suicides by Firearms70%
of Veteran suicides are with firearms
Death Rate85%
of suicide attempts with firearms are fatal
Suicide Intent10 MIN
or less, is how long survivors say they thought about suicide before attempt
The Upshot: Suicide is often impulsive and firearms are almost always lethal - so the fact that most veterans who attempt suicide do so with a firearm means that more veterans die.
Empowering individuals with the knowledge to intervene at a critical moment
Thirty years ago it was normal to let friends stumble drunk to the door to leave a party and get in their car. Now, 70% of Americans say they have intervened to prevent someone from driving under the influence, often by holding on to their car keys. The year after the campaign launched, there was a 10% drop in drunk driving deaths – the single biggest year-over-year drop ever recorded.
“Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” worked because it empowered individual Americans with the will and the knowledge to intervene at a critical moment – a moment when it was temporarily unsafe for a friend or loved one to operate a particular tool. It is a deceptively simple approach to a complex societal problem.
Asking the right question can save a life
Firearms are tools. Research tells us that putting time and distance between a person in crisis and the deadliest suicide methods saves lives. Firearms are deadlier than all other methods combined. This means that the right question at a critical moment can save a life:
-I’m worried about you. Until things even out, what’s up with your firearms?
-Since things are rough, can I help make a plan for your guns?
-I’d feel better if I held onto your firearms for a while. Even if you’re not worried about yourself, I am.
Deceptively simple. Proven effective. So what are you waiting for? Just Fucking Ask.