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Why Safes Are a Stronger Solution Than Trigger Locks in Suicide Prevention

Across the country, many organizations are distributing trigger locks or cable locks to promote firearm safety. While these devices play a role, they often fall short when it comes to true suicide prevention. Research and national strategy documents make it clear: safes are a stronger, more comprehensive solution.

At Safes for a Cause, we believe communities deserve more than a minimum standard. Here’s why safes should be the preferred option when supporting families and preventing suicide.

Here are 6 reasons why you should provide safes instead of gun locks for your prevention efforts!

1. Time and Distance Save Lives

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) emphasizes that “increasing the time and distance between someone and a firearm can reduce suicide risk and save lives”.

• Locks provide a short delay.

• Safes create a significant barrier requiring both time and effort to access.
  That extra pause is critical, since many suicide attempts are impulsive.

2. Locks Are Easy to Misplace — Safes Provide Consistency

A studies across the US show more than 45% of gun owners with children do not store firearms securely. Even though every new firearm purchased comes with a cable or trigger lock, gun owners are still storing them insecurely. The small locks provided can be easily lost, forgotten, or not even used. A safe, on the other hand, provides a consistent, reliable home for firearms to be locked, secured, and often out of sight.

3. Protecting Youth and Preventing Accidents

States like Michigan, Missouri, Utah, and many other states state in their Suicide Prevention Plan notes that over half of suicide deaths in their state involve a firearm.

• A trigger lock may stop a gun from firing, but it doesn’t stop a child or teen from handling it raising curiosity and generating ideas.

• A safe eliminates immediate access, reducing the chance of accidental discharge and preventing curiosity from turning tragic.

4. Safes Address More Than Firearms

The 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention calls for comprehensive approaches that include storing multiple lethal means safely. Safes can secure not only guns, but also medications, alcohol, or other potential means of harm. This makes them a broader, family-centered safety solution. Cable locks can only secure one firearm while our safes can secure multiple firearms, medications, and other potential means of harm.

5. Aligning With State and National Strategies

From Michigan’s new safe storage law to Arizona’s 2024–2026 Suicide Prevention Action Plan, states are increasingly prioritizing secure storage as a life-saving strategy. The National Strategy’s Goal 3 — “Reduce access to lethal means among people at risk of suicide” directly supports the role of safes in prevention.

By providing safes instead of locks, organizations can align their efforts with these national priorities while offering families a more durable, effective safety measure.

6. Supporting Families and Communities

• Safes demonstrate a family-centered approach. Instead of putting the burden on individuals to lock every gun, a safe provides a single, reliable solution.

• Community programs that distribute safes send a stronger message: protecting lives is worth investing in long-term, durable safety solutions.

Final Thought

Trigger locks and cable locks have a role in firearm safety — but when it comes to suicide prevention, we can and must do more. Safes provide stronger barriers, protect more than just the firearm, and ultimately give families the peace of mind that comes from knowing they’ve done everything possible to keep loved ones safe.

At Safes for a Cause, our mission is simple: Protect What Matters. Support Who Matters. By making safes accessible to families and organizations, we’re building safer homes, stronger communities, and brighter futures.