Editor’s note: The social media post that was shared by Teton County Health Department was created by the Community Prevention Coalition of Teton County. The article has been edited to reflect this. Buckrail regrets the error.
JACKSON, Wyo. — As hunting season ramps up, the Teton County Health Department (TCHD) and the Community Prevention Coalition of Teton County (CPCTC) are asking people to have mental health and safety in mind when retrieving firearms out of storage.
CPCTC is recommending that hunters save 988 in their contacts — the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Calls and texts can be made to this number 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Hunters are also urged to practice secure gun storage at home and in camp, and to check in on hunting partners when not in the field.
Wyoming currently ranks highest in the nation for firearm suicides per capita. In 2024, CPCTC states that 20.9 deaths were recorded per 100,000 people in the state. That number is more than double the median firearm suicide rate in the country.
“Safety doesn’t end in the field,” CPCTC wrote on social media. The organization recommends locking unloaded firearms when not actively in use, separating ammunition and locking it away from firearms to add an extra delay in times of distress. “Be ready to hold gear or suggest temporary off-site storage at a trusted friend’s house or local gun shop if a buddy is having a rough patch.”
In the social media post, CPCTC notes that mere minutes can make a difference in a suicidal crisis. “Putting time and distance between a person and lethal means gives intense impulses room to pass,” CPCTC wrote.
Community Prevention Coordinator Beverly Shore told Buckrail that CPCTC is connected to TCHD, though funding for the prevention component comes from state and federal grants, not from county funding. The organization focuses on suicide prevention, adult overconsumption of alcohol, underage drinking and THC use, opioids and illicit drugs, nicotine and tobacco prevention, and more.
