Summer Update 2026
This summer: Camp of Champs, Monroe County’s community gun-safety work, and three reads on firearm suicide, safe storage, and the limits of prediction.
IN THIS EDITION:
Meeting People Where They Are: Connecting with families and athletes at the Camp of Champs
Community Highlight: Monroe County’s Community Partnership for Gun Safety
What We’re Reading: New reporting and research on firearm suicide, safe storage, and suicide prevention
A Note From Dr. Jay Breneman
Thank you for reading and for being part of The Missing Conversation. Several new events, stories, and community efforts are taking shape, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the months ahead.
Please share this edition with colleagues, friends, and family so they can help be a part of the change. To connect, share an idea, or become involved in our work, email me anytime at [email protected].
With gratitude,
Dr. B
Meeting People Where They Are
In June, our Northeast Regional Liaison, Jonathan Gomez, joined families, athletes, and coaches at the Heallist Foundation's Camp of Champs wrestling event in Tannersville, PA. The camp featured nationally recognized wrestlers and coaches while raising scholarship support so more local youth could participate.
Throughout the weekend, Jonathan met with attendees at our resource table, answered questions, shared educational materials, connected with loss survivors, and talked with families about firearm suicide prevention and safe firearm storage.
Community Highlight
Stories and efforts addressing firearm suicide in their communities.
The Community Partnership for Gun Safety (CPGS) is a PCCD-funded pilot program in Monroe County led by retired school superintendent Dr. John Toleno and retired police officer and Gulf War veteran Jake Jakobsen. The partnership brings together residents, law enforcement, educators, health professionals, veterans, and community leaders to promote safe firearm storage, responsible firearm handling, and mental health awareness.
The effort responds to an important local need. According to the partnership, Monroe County's suicide rate among adult men is higher than both the Pennsylvania and national averages, and about 75% of households own at least one firearm. Through community gun safety classes and outreach, CPGS helps families learn how secure firearm storage can reduce the risk of suicide during a mental health crisis while also helping prevent unintentional shootings. More than 150 Monroe County residents have already participated in the program's gun safety classes.
For more information please visit their website at www.gunsafetymonroepa.org or contact them at [email protected]
Do you know of a local person, group, or effort in your community that others might find interesting to learn about? We’d love to feature them! Submit a nomination here.
What We’re Reading
Stories and research shaping how we understand firearm suicide.
U.S. Gun Suicides Hit Record High, Even As Firearm Deaths Decline Overall — Federal data show that while overall firearm deaths fell 5% in 2024 because of a sharp decline in homicides, firearm suicides reached a record high of 27,593 deaths. The report also highlights growing disparities, with firearm suicide increasing fastest among Black and Hispanic women.
Firearm Storage in Households With Children — Based on results from a nationally representative survey study of 879 adult gun owners living in households with children, conducted in December 2024, an estimated 32.3 million US children live in homes with firearms; 6.7 million live in a home where at least 1 firearm is loaded and unlocked.
Rethinking suicide prevention: from prediction to understanding — This paper argues that suicide is too complex to be reliably predicted and cautions that overreliance on risk prediction, hospitalization, and mental illness as primary explanations may limit prevention efforts.