PITTSBURGH (TNS) — The owner of Allegheny Arms and Gun Works fiercely supports gun rights. But he’s also experienced his own gun-related tragedies.
In the past decade, Josh Rowe, a veteran, said almost a dozen of his friends and colleagues have committed suicide with a firearm. Most of them served in the armed forces. Most recently, his uncle died in 2021.
It was a shock, the 46-year-old said. His uncle, who lived in Phoenix, was “the life of the party.”
”This guy would travel all over the country,” he said. “When we cleaned out his house, he had cards and letters from friends.”
The tragedy of veteran suicide that Mr. Rowe knows all too well isn’t unique to him. A recent report from the Department of Veteran Affairs shows that firearm suicide is a leading cause of death for returning veterans — between 2001 and 2020, the suicide rate for veterans increased by 36%, and firearm suicides rose by 45%.
Feelings of isolation after returning from deployment are something Mr. Rowe can relate to. He said he was “in a bad way” when he returned from deployment.
”So I made the effort to make sure my firearms weren’t in the house,” Mr. Rowe said.
It was a simple precaution that many don’t take — mainly because there’s nowhere to store those firearms.
VOLUNTARY STORAGEThat’s why in 2022, the Bethel Park business became the first gun store in Pennsylvania to offer voluntary firearms storage for any legal gun owner, no questions asked.
At Allegheny Arms, anyone who wants to store their firearms can simply walk up the counter, and inquire about the service. Mr. Rowe’s employees will only ask how many firearms they would like to store, and provide them with a contract. Employees will answer any questions patrons have, and ask for a copy of the patron’s license or other identification. After a $20 deposit, the firearm is signed into inventory.
”It’s a pretty straightforward process,” he said.
In 2022, approximately 120 guns were stored using the service.
The service is part of a partnership with the nonprofit Hold My Guns, whose mission statement is “to connect responsible firearm owners with voluntary, private off-site storage options, through our national network of partnering gun shops and Federal Firearm Licensees, during times of mental health crisis or personal need.”
”Hold My Guns commends veteran-owned Allegheny Arms in Pittsburgh for their leadership and genuine care for the community,” said Sarah Joy Albrecht, the founder of HMG. “Their dedication to promoting voluntary firearms storage, fostering personal responsibility, and actively engaging the firearms community sets a commendable example.”
Ms. Albrecht founded HMG after a friend of her children committed suicide in 2018.
”They came to me, and they said, ‘Mom, we love shooting sports, we value our rights, but our friend is dead,’” said Ms. Albrecht, a shooting range safety officer. “[They asked] how do we help people in crisis when there’s a lot of stigma?”
Ms. Albrecht said she realized the problem — the lack of safe firearm storage outside of the home — didn’t have a solution. So, she met with a Second Amendment lawyer to find one.
Consulting with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, they drew up a storage contract to take to gun shops that would comply with the law. As of December, eight gun stores in the country have partnered with HMG and offer voluntary firearm storage services.
While losing loved ones to suicides may have fueled Ms. Albrecht and Mr. Rowe in their mission to provide safe firearm storage, Ms. Albrecht said the service is used for many reasons.
”If you’re being deployed, going on business, have an at-risk child at home,” Ms. Albrecht said, listing some of the motivations for using the service.
Before the service’s creation, some people would refrain from going into homeless or domestic violence shelters because they didn’t have a place to secure their firearms, she said.
”We don’t want people to choose between their personal safety and having a roof over their head,” she said.
Mr. Rowe said that at Allegheny Arms, most people store their guns while they’re out of town or on vacation.
”I’ve had people tell me that before they used the service, they hid their firearms in their ovens when they left town to keep them from being stolen,” Mr. Rowe said.
The service could also help prevent a gun-related issue that’s plaguing families nationwide — accidental shootings. More than 4.6 million children live in a household with at least one loaded, unsecured gun, according to Everytown, a gun violence prevention and research group.
So far this year, there were at least 361 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 136 deaths and 239 injuries nationwide.
”We know that children get into everything,” said Adam Garber, the executive director of CeaseFire PA. “They will find your gun, and they don’t understand the consequences at that age.”
‘GAINED THE TRUST’Mr. Garber and other gun safety advocates have urged Pennsylvania legislators to pass a safe storage bill that would require gun owners in homes where children may be present to store their firearms securely. On Nov. 16, the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee passed the bill, sending it to the House floor for consideration.
But Ms. Albrecht argues that legislative decisions make gun owners “feel like their rights are being stripped away,” and HMG has been successful thus far because it “gained the trust of the community.”
”It’s an organization that comes from within the firearms community,” she said. “We are all either range safety officers, instructors or work for ranges and gun shops.”
HMG has been championed by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, which called the service “a viable alternative that saves lives.”
”[We recognize] the need to promote responsible gun ownership for all of our citizens but in particular for our transitioning service members, veterans and their families,” said Richard Hamp, the special assistant to the deputy adjutant general for veteran affairs. “Hold My Guns is a valuable partner within the commonwealth.”
Some state gun laws make it difficult for the service to function, Ms. Albrecht said. After Washington state enacted an assault weapons ban, its storage partner in the state had to stop storing weapons for many patrons.
”Even though the new law said that they were grandfathered in and they didn’t have to relinquish their firearms, possession of guns couldn’t be transferred,” Ms. Albrecht said. “Since then, that gun shop has had to turn away people in need of storage.”
While gun legislation stalls, services like HMG may yield quicker results.
And it might be catching on.
In July, the ATF published an open letter encouraging Federal Firearms Licensees, like Allegheny Arms, to provide firearm storage services. “ President Biden issued an Executive Order 14092 on Reducing Gun Violence and Making Our Communities Safer,” the letter reads. “ Among other things, that order emphasized the need for Federal agencies to promote the safe storage of firearms.”
It outlined the obligations of FFLs who choose to offer voluntary storage, and offered means of assistance through the federal government.
It’s a promising step toward Ms. Albrecht’s goal of having an HMG location in all 50 states.
”There’s a lot of stigma and shame around [owning] firearms, but really, that’s like half of Americans that we’re talking about,” Ms. Albrecht said. “So, why not come up with a way that helps people to make good choices and meets their needs.”
