Lorain County Suicide Prevention Coalition youth sub-committee advocates for safe gun practices, debuts safety video

Community members gathered Thursday for the debut of a public service announcement advocating for firearm safety. The public service announcement, created by youth members of the Lorain County Suicide Prevention Coalition, was a video that advocates for the safe storage and use of firearms — including the use of gun locks, gun safes and the practice of keeping firearms unloaded. In addition to multiple community organizations, the safety video was created by seven local students: Lily Baca, Zamien Cook, Odin Crum, Gabriel Garcia, Caroline Hendrickson, Kassie Pincura and Ethan Schmitz, all members of the Lorain County Suicide Prevention Coalition's youth subcommittee. A panel discussion with them preceded the video's debut at the Amy Levin Conference and Learning Center. The safety video was created through a collaboration between the suicide prevention coalition, the American Legion Post 30, the Lorain County Urban League, the Lorain County 4-H Shooting Sports, Ship to Shore, the Lorain Police Department and Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services. Brandon J. Wysocki, director of youth services and community outreach for the American Legion Post 30, and Brooke Sherman, chair of the suicide prevention coalition's youth subcommittee, served as moderators for Thursday's event. "We believe that doing practical things as a community or in the community can help protect lives," Sherman said. "As the youth subcommittee, we decided to try to create some sort of youth public service announcement." A core reason the initiative was completed, Sherman said, was to educate members of the public of gun safety, as well as to show individuals the importance of suicide prevention. "Our message is simple. It is to put a barrier between a moment of intense distress and a permanent decision," Sherman said after noting that about 50 percent of suicides in Ohio are connected to the use of a firearm. "We cannot always predict when a crisis happens, but we can take steps ahead of time to limit the access to those lethal means." During the panel discussion, the youth subcommittee members reflected on the importance of creating the video. "It can take one second to decide or five minutes," Baca said. "But that one second could save so many lives." "It's just so important to secure these firearms," Cook said. "Those milliseconds where they're thinking about it … it counts. It definitely counts." Regardless of the seriousness of the topic, members of the team noted how much they learned through the experience and the relationships built through it. When responding to questions of what the members hoped people would take away from the safety video, many of the youth actors reflected on the importance of seeking help and identifying risk factors of depression in friends and family. "It is very important to pay attention. But it's also important to set up a support system," Pincura said. "It's very important to be supportive. The public safety video was directed by Lorain native John Baumgartner, who recently directed "Beneath the Light." During Thursday's event, members of the team encouraged anyone struggling with mental health to contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a resource that can be contacted at 988 via phone call or text message. Contact Garrett Looker at glooker@chroniclet.com.