“I don’t think that the gun had anything to do with it,” Davis said.
Yet, research shows that easy access to a firearm can be deadly.
“There’s a lot of factors leading to this epidemic, but the most important one is guns,” said Chris Marvin, who served for seven years as a U.S. Army officer and Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. He currently sits on the Everytown Veterans Advisory Council.
“It’s so clear that the gun is a leading reason why we have a suicide crisis.”
When people think about suicide among veterans, Marvin said, they tend to blame it on the trauma of combat. But many veterans, like Johnson, never saw any fighting.
Columbia Mayor Brian Treece announced no new health order will be put in place after the current one expires on May 12.
Masks will still be required in city buildings. Individual businesses and schools have the ability to require masks.
Both the University of Missouri and Columbia Public Schools are no longer requiring masks outdoors.Â
All seven Missouri Veterans Homes were shutdown in March of 2020, and new veteran admissions were stopped in all homes that had positive COVID-19 cases.
The response to the pandemic in the homes resulted in an external review conducted by St. Louis law firm Armstrong Teasdale in October of 2020. The review found that the Missouri Veterans Commission failed to both acknowledge and react promptly to COVID-19 outbreaks within the long-term care facilities.
Missouri rolls out ‘one-stop-shop’ veterans resource tool
Missouri has launched a new tool to help veterans find potential benefits and local help. The Missouri Benefits and Resource Portal is an informational tool and service guide to help veterans.
Photo by Alisa Nelson
The Missouri Veterans Commission and Office of the Missouri Military Advocate have rolled out the portal.
“The Missouri Benefits and Resource Portal is a great step toward helping military members and their families learn about the assistance available to them in their own backyard,” MVC Executive Director Paul Kirchhoff said. “We expect the site will continue to evolve and become more interactive.”
Young Missouri military veterans suicide rate exceptionally high news-leader.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news-leader.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Missouri Veterans Commission announces all seven Veteran Homes are taking applications for new admissions.Â
The homes are located in Cameron, Cape Girardeau, Mexico, Mount Vernon, St. James, St. Louis and Warrensburg. At full capacity, the homes have a total of 1,238 beds that provide long-term skilled nursing care.
âWe are excited to be taking applications for new admissions into all seven of our Veteran Homes,â MVC Executive Director Paul Kirchhoff said. âThe Missouri Veterans Commission is committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care for Veterans. We have protocols in place to ensure an easy and safe transition for Veterans.â
Kirchhoff said six of the seven Veteran Homes have waiting lists, but that it is important to keep the lists active and updated as openings become available in the Homes.