VHPI’s Lemle Writes on Firearm Suicide Prevention Collaborations in Guns & Ammo Carry Magazine

VHPI Senior Policy Analyst Russell Lemle published a piece last week in Guns & Ammo's Carry magazine. Noted Lemle: “Despite the familiar libertarian narrative that the federal government can’t be trusted when it comes to guns, firearm industry and 2A advocates have been steadily joining forces with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prevent suicide. This work heralds perhaps the most exciting and productive collaboration today on American gun deaths.” You can read more here how suicide prevention efforts that bridge the sociopolitical divide surrounding guns are working." A PDF link to Lemle's print article is available here.

Russell Lemle

Russell B. Lemle, PhD, is a Senior Policy Analyst for the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute. From 1981 to 2019, he worked for the San Francisco VA Healthcare System, the last 25 years as Chief Psychologist. 

He’s authored numerous scientific publications and media commentaries, including in The Hill, Task & Purpose, The American Prospect, Washington Monthly, Federal Practitioner, Guns & Ammo and California Firing Line on the prevention of firearm suicide and the looming decimation of the VA resulting from explosive outsourcing of veterans’ health care to the private sector. Dr. Lemle has been widely recognized for his contributions to veterans’ health care policy and firearm suicide prevention, including the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 18 Harold Hildreth Award (2011), Association of VA Psychologist Leaders (AVAPL) Antonette Zeiss Distinguished Career Award (2013), AVAPL Patrick DeLeon Advocacy Award (2016), the Disabled American Veterans’ Special Recognition Award for Veterans Health Care Advocacy (2020), and APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest- Senior Career (2024). In 2017, the AVAPL Russell B. Lemle Leadership Award was established in his honor. He was a member of the Presidential PREVENTS task force and has testified to Congress on veterans’ mental health policy.

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