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Another great piece from Rolling Stone and The Trace explores how the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) teamed up with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to fight gun suicide—but may have found itself used for public relations purposes.
With guns involved in more than half of suicide deaths in the United States each year, suicide-prevention nonprofit AFSP sought the help of the NSSF, which represents firearm manufacturers, ranges, and sellers. It seemed like a chance to put politics aside and work for public health—but from the start, the joint initiative was on a troubled course, according to an investigation by The Trace and Rolling Stone, the fourth part of an ongoing series about the gun industry. Internal emails, documents, recordings reveal a partnership that gave first priority to messaging and the interests of the gun industry. In the end, the program was quietly shut down.