Any veteran who wants a lockbox to store their firearm would be able to get one for free from the Department of Veterans Affairs under a bipartisan bill introduced in the House on Wednesday aimed at curbing veteran suicides.
The bill, which has won the endorsement of a firearms industry group in addition to gun control groups, builds off an existing pilot program at the VA that provides lockboxes to at-risk veterans.
"I hear colleagues all the time talk about veteran suicide," Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., a Navy veteran and one of the lead sponsors of the bill, said in a brief interview with Military.com. "It is a problem in my community. It's a problem across the country. Let's take action. This is a chance where we can do it that I think can cut through the politics that normally divide us on these [gun] issues. And I think the coalition supporting the bill tells you, we've got a path to pass it."
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In addition to Deluzio, the bill is sponsored by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Greg Landsman, D-Ohio. All three are considered moderates within their parties and are in somewhat competitive reelection races.
As the veterans suicide rate remains stubbornly high, the VA has focused heavily in recent years on promoting safe gun storage.
The veterans suicide rate continues to outpace civilian suicide deaths, and firearms continue to be the leading cause of death by suicide among veterans. The VA's most recent suicide report found that 73% of male veteran suicide deaths and 52% of female deaths were with a firearm.
Research has shown that making it harder to access a gun can prevent suicide deaths. But studies have also shown that about half of veterans with guns are not storing them safely.
The VA has been providing free cable locks for guns to any veteran who wants one since 2013, and in 2021, the department began airing public service announcements and posting billboards to encourage safe storage of firearms as part of a broader Biden administration effort to curb veteran and active service member suicides.
The department also announced earlier this year that it would begin providing gun lockboxes for qualifying veterans who want them.
The existing program offers the safes to veterans enrolled in VA health care whom doctors assess are at moderate to high risk for suicide.
The bill from Deluzio, Fitzpatrick and Landsman, dubbed the Saving Our Veterans Lives Act, would make the lockboxes available to any veteran, regardless of VA enrollment status or diagnosis, and set aside $5 million every year for the next 10 years to implement the law.
"Veterans suicide we know is a national crisis, and we know that suicide by firearms is a major cause, major factor in suicides for veterans," Deluzio said. "We think and we have evidence this can work. Let's get VA the resources now to get locked boxes to more veterans who want them."
The bill would also direct the VA to create a public education campaign on the availability of the lockboxes and the importance of secure firearms storage in suicide prevention.
Historically, efforts to promote gun safety among veterans and service members have evoked the ire of gun rights groups that maintain the efforts are veiled gun control measures. For example, a provision included in the 2022 version of the annual defense policy bill to offer gun safes and locks to service members prompted a lobbying campaign from groups such as the Gun Owners of America that argued the provision would be used "to justify extreme gun control." That lobbying campaign was unsuccessful, and the provision was included in the version of the defense bill that was signed into law.
There are signs that expanding the VA's firearm lockbox program can overcome typical gun politics, too. The version of the 2025 VA spending bill approved by the House earlier this year includes $3 million to bolster the VA's existing lockbox program.
"The committee supports VA's efforts to address veteran suicide prevention, and the firearm lockbox program is a critical element," a report about the spending bill from the GOP-led House Appropriations Committee said.
The new bill from Deluzio, Fizpatrick and Landsman has garnered the endorsement of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, or NSSF, a firearms trade group that has partnered with the VA on secure storage and suicide prevention but has also been critical of the VA's approach to guns in other areas.
"Gun owners have a responsibility to securely store their firearms when not in use to make sure they are inaccessible to those who should not possess them, including someone experiencing a mental health crisis," Lawrence Keane, NSSF's senior vice president, said in a statement released by Deluzio's office. "Responsible firearm storage can create time and space between a person in crisis and a gun."
Other groups that have endorsed the bill include veterans groups such as Disabled American Veterans and The American Legion; gun control groups such as GIFFORDS, Everytown for Gun Safety and Brady; and medical groups such the American Psychological Association, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Association of VA Psychologist Leaders.
"This commonsense, bipartisan initiative is more than a solution -- it's a lifeline," Fitzpatrick said in a statement. "By providing access to lifesaving resources, we can prevent devastating outcomes and stand with our veterans as they navigate their darkest hours."
Service members or veterans experiencing a mental health crisis or their loved ones can call the Veterans Crisis Line 24/7 at 988, Press 1. Help also is available online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or by texting 838255.
Related: Veteran Suicides Ticked Upward in 2021 Following 2 Years of Decline, Latest VA Statistics Show
