Suicide prevention Saturday on the road

or something.

I don't know, something. I did everything twice.

Well, now you're live.

Now I'm live? Are you sure?

Very sure.

The little counter's going 1, 2, 3, or whatever.

Well, it's already down 1, 2, 3.

All right, all right. So we know Tara's Kitchen's out there, uh, Gun Websites. Are there any other comments that we've already started with?

Uh, not yet.

Not yet. Okay. All right, G-Web, so I'm coming on early because I just want to make sure the sound is okay. I don't have to yell or scream or any of that. So if you'd be kind, as we drive through the capital city of Connecticut here, Hartford, Connecticut, the insurance capital of the world prior to our government, um, pushing out most of the businesses who were once here. Um, yeah, so this is really just the soundcheck portion of it, and of course it's for all the replay viewers who actually are— generally people actually see the whole thing, so Hartford's actually a really pretty city. It's got some really, really cool, um, what do you call it? I don't know. Well, tunnels are fun. My kids always like the tunnels.

Architecture.

Architecture. Yes, exactly. Oh yes. Um, welcome to like, uh, I don't know, roughly hour 14 of the last being on the road in the last like 32 hours. Um, coming off 9 hours on the range today. So it's been a long day, but it is Saturday night, and in 2 minutes officially it will be 9 o'clock, which will mean we will start the actual show versus just, uh, soundcheck. So anybody reply, Maxwell?

Uh, yes, uh, Mike White, Guns BBQ, Fiona all say that you sound good.

Awesome, thank you so much everybody. Um, all right, so I'm not gonna wait my 2 minutes, I'm just gonna get going because I don't know, why not? All right, so Suicide Friends Saturday. Why? Because as a gun owner, it's super important that we understand when people talk about gun violence, 30,000+ lives lost a year, that 20 of those 30 are suicides. So not to say that suicide isn't a violent way to go, but it is not the same as gun violence, which is one of the things that the media likes to talk about. So For those of you who caught Friday, which was only yesterday— holy moly, it's been a crazy weekend already— September is Suicide Awareness Suicide Prevention Month. So I hadn't really thought of it, but maybe I will do a couple more of these. So let's talk about life hardship and why that's super good. My husband actually said something to me the other day, which I thought made all the sense in the world. The world, which is doing hard things is what makes you happy. And I have a— well, to me, it's a funny story. I had a spa day. And I thought it would be so cool if I had a pedicure, a manicure, a massage, and a facial. And I'm like, oh, this will be the best day ever. It wasn't. It was really rough actually sitting around doing nothing all day and getting all of those things done. So doing hard things like driving 14 hours or being on the road 14 hours plus shooting a match for 9 hours today— well, being on the range for like 9 hours today— those are harder things, but getting through them makes you feel like you've done an accomplishment or you've had an accomplishment. And so doing things you don't want to do is how you grow your confidence. Uh, one of the guys I listen to is Ed Mylett, and he is a business coach, and he does— he has tons of really, really awesome, uh, interviews and stuff. So if you haven't yet, follow him, go find him. He's on Instagram all the time, but he's got a cool YouTube channel too. But What did I, what did I want to say about Ed Mylett? Um, he just talks about so many really cool things. Oh, because he's a business coach, he, he's always asked what do, what does he spend time coaching people on? And he says it doesn't matter if you're a pro sports athlete, if you're the CEO of a company, anything along those lines, self-confidence is the one thing that he's always working on with everyone. So for those of you out there who may or may not have self-confidence issues, understand, so does everyone else. It's not about money or fame. It's the human condition. So doing hard things makes you more confident because if you've done something hard, I don't know, if you want to like switch a job and, you know, figure out, you know, get out of your comfort zone, these are the things that are good for you. I know they suck at the time often, but it's how we grow. All right, Mr. Maxwell, are there any additional comments? Uh, uh, in 3 minutes we've already been on.

Got a website, uh, wants you to pop wheelie, family band, uh, Guns and BBQ is also congratulating you on your, um arrival from tyranny— I mean, Britain.

Okay. Yeah. Oh my gosh, I was ready to kill him, by the way, last week. Where are you? Yes, well, so when I was in Britain, when we were in London, Mr. Barbecue left a very obnoxious comment saying that I had gone to the dark side and I was going to stay in Britain forever. But anyway, I have a sword fight that I have to do. Good thing we have swords, broadswords no less. It will take him out. But anyway, I'd have to actually find him in Pennsylvania somewhere first. All right, so, um, doing hard things— this is what makes life worthwhile. These are the things that people, uh, need to do in order to feel worth it. I was talking with a friend of mine about the economy, and we were discussing how there's help wanted signs everywhere, and it seems as though no one wants to work. The other thing we talked about was the fact that death and violence and suicide and addiction have all gone up substantially in the past 2 years. And this is what happens when people are shuttered at home, not being able to contribute to society on a regular basis. We have a huge mental health problem right now, and nobody really wants to talk about it. People are all talking about the economy. And not that that's not important, but to understand that there's an underlying challenge of the mental health problem that we have here in America right now. So Suicide Prevention Saturday, it's Suicide Prevention September. I'm going to try to figure out other ways to throw things up. For those of you who didn't see Friday's pop-up live that I did, I unboxed some stuff that I'd gotten from the Connecticut Suicide, um, whatever it was called, prevention, I'm not even sure. But there's lots of different stuff, so I think what I'm going to probably do is throughout the week and throughout the month just kind of highlight a couple of those things so you guys can all download them so you have more resources on how to help people, especially here in Connecticut. So I think this is going to be maybe the shortest Suicide Prevention Saturday ever because Driving and talking is actually a lot harder than I was thinking it was going to be, even though I do have a cameraman. So thank our cameraman, Max.

I need no thanks, this is charity work.

Charity work. Okay, see, see what a lovely child I've raised? I'm working on raising. I don't even know, except when he leans forward, I can't see the rearview mirror. So now you have to lean back because there's people like that. Yeah, well, usually they're talking to each other about now saying hi to everybody else.

Absolutely. G23 just said hello to everybody. Yeah, Maggie42 is saying hi to everybody. Got some BBQs making further comments on your adoration of the comment of Britain being the dark side.

Well, hi everybody. Um, yeah, and GT3 I was actually thinking about you for this month because I haven't done any interviews in quite some time. I happened to see Mario Mosen on Friday, yesterday. I can't believe Friday was only yesterday. Um, and so I might be doing some more interviews this month. So there is that, because the new GT3, we talked about you, you and I doing an interview with that, with, um, the suicide stuff. All right, oh, what else is there, ladies and gentlemen? Tell me what you would like to see for Suicide Prevention September. Not just— sorry, a motorcycle is gonna explode because he really needs a shift and he's choosing not to. Or maybe it's a she, I don't know. But anyway, um, what things would you like me to cover in Suicide Prevention September? September, because I definitely am hoping to do some bonus sessions or maybe throw together some different videos or short how-tos, or maybe share the links to some of the training that came in the mailings that I got. So let me know what you guys would like to know. And I think that is all that I have. So officially, the shortest Thursday, Friday, and Saturday ever, because on the road's a little bit more challenging. On—

would you like to answer like the final couple comments?

Sure, yeah, go ahead.

All right, uh, Gun Websites is critiquing your ability to talk and drive, uh, and Fiona wants to know how the competition was.

Oh well, um, it was— it's fun because you're hanging out with a bunch of people with lots of guns and getting to shoot a lot. There was a the. The shooting order. The first gentleman who went up really likes to shoot a lot. So to give you an idea, there's two shots per target. And Maxwell, who follows me because it went this guy myself, and then Max, the first guy went up. It's like, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. Max is like, there's only two shots per target, right? Because he's, like, shooting three and four at each target. So. So he got the award for most shots fired for the entire match. And then we had Roadrunner on our, our team as well, and he just ran really fast through the entire course of fire. And then we had a couple of revolver shooters. But it's, it's always fun to just hang out with a bunch of friends because it's so funny because I don't even know where half my friends, my friends live because we meet at matches like this in Maine or Pennsylvania or, um, yeah, I don't know, all sorts of different places. So the match was pretty fun. I bought a new belt while I was there, so that was cool. I didn't have any like burn-it-down stages, um, but as one of my mentors would say, I did as well as I practiced to do. So I'll be down the bottom of the list, but it's all good. All right, what else, Maxwell?

Uh, one final thing, following up on your questions and what you— on what people would like to see. Yes, the people have spoken, and a gun website says that he would be interested to see the history of suicide awareness and prevention over time.

Okay, I don't even know where to start with that, but okay. Um, well, I'm just thinking like, if possible. Yeah, no, no, I mean, that makes sense. I mean, and this is just— it is like, uh, probably one of the most important things is kind of figuring out a lot of that, because one of the most important things about mental health and suicide prevention is breaking down the stereotype and the stigma around it. Um, I actually just lost a really good friend. Oh, puppy! Sorry. It's a little cocker spaniel. It's so cute. Um, so anyway, breaking down the stigma around mental health and suicide because I lost a really good friend this, this, this week. Um, he died of a heart attack at 50 years old, which is very sad. So all you boys watching, make sure you get your hearts checked because that seems to take you out the most. Um, but his uncle had actually committed suicide and I'd gone to that funeral. And when I was at my friend's funeral and I mentioned something about the uncle who had committed suicide, you could just see the person I was talking to prickle up. Oh, well, it's just not the same thing. It's just like, I understand suicide's not the same as dying of health issues, but we need to figure out ways to break down. So yeah, so looking into the originalness of where's— how do we do more? Where did it start? How do we make it grow further? Sounds like a great idea, G-Webs. All right, how are we doing, Maxwell?

A couple more things. Uh, Mr. Belanger has popped in, said he's always here to listen. Vanessa has also popped into the chat for the first time, as I can see.

Hello, Kitty!

And, uh, Sir Jonathan Berger has commented that That Guns and BBQ guy must be Corn Pop because he's a bad dude, as it may be.

And Max, just so you know, in case anyone watching doesn't know, that Jonathan Berger on Facebook, that's his Facebook persona, but Guns and BBQ is the same person. So he's just talking about himself in the third person, like the royal we. So since, uh, we're trying to get away from the royal royalness of London, um So yeah. All right. Well, everybody, thank you for asking questions or commenting so I could go on more than 3 minutes of this evening. And now that I'm on a single-lane road, it might be a little bit easier. But there is lots of things to— there are lots of things to talk about. And breaking down the stigma, I think, is probably going to be the hardest. And as gun owners, I think that we have a hard road to hoe as far as that goes, because we also need to figure out how to break the stigma down over gun ownership. I mean, I don't know how many of you guys are moms or dads, but it's just like when people say, oh, well, you choose your guns over your kids. It's like, um, no, that's not it at all. So we've got lots of stigma breaking to work on, which is a societal thing, which makes it just that much more challenging. All right everybody, I think I'm good. I think my poor son's arm is gonna fall off. He's trying to brace himself in like 3 different ways over here.

No, I was just taking a second.

All right, fine, you're my co-host and I have a DJ tonight. All right, I think you can hit the stop thingy, or, you know, plus I'm in the darkness.

You think the crowd's satisfied?

Well, they're satisfied as they're gonna get this evening. You know, I know Mike Ballinger, he likes them short anyway, so it's good for that. And, um, Mr. Ballinger, have a lovely evening. There are—

I, I know that you feel like you're done. There are some hard-hitting questions here, okay? So I'll start you with the easy ones. Are you attending or speaking at the DC Project rally on the 17th?

None of the above. Having stepped down as DC project director and I'm only assistant director now, I am not required to attend DC and I'm actually teaching a training counseling. I'm teaching NRA instructors that weekend, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So I will not be there in DC this year for the first time since 2017. All right, what's next?

Next one is from Schmeggy42. I know gun owners that are worried about the state taking their guns if they go to get help.

Yeah, I actually was just— I, I was hobbling about on my, my busted knee at the range, and we actually started talking about painkillers, and one of the other gentlemen that was working that match was telling me how that he just had a procedure, and he refused to take any pain meds because he didn't want to get addicted to them. And the nurse or doctor had said, don't worry, if we get you addicted to them, we know how to get you off of them. And his concern was, as a gun owner, he did not want to lose anything if he became addicted to stuff. So yeah, gun owners have lots of challenges. Because it's like we are already held to a higher standard than most. We are expected to make sure our guns never get stolen. We are expected to be safe with our guns at all times. We are expected to be in perfect mental health at all times, which is unrealistic and unacceptable due to the fact that we are all human. So, um, this is where it just gives us— to me, it should give us as gun owners more determination maybe to try to help people understand that mental health is important for everyone, that you are not broken if you go to counseling and you're actually being healthy if you take care of yourself in that way. So we do have a, like I said, hard road to help.

Gun websites has made a light amendment that it was on The actual date was the 16th of that— the 16th of— I have no idea.

I think it's of September, maybe. Um, yeah, I'm pretty sure the DC project, uh, I think it's September. Um, like I said, not being director anymore, I don't have to go to the meetings and all that sort of stuff. So even still, I am still not heading to DC this, this month because I went in June or July, I forget which. So I've already made one DC project trip, and that is enough for the pocketbook, quite honestly, because I need to work on the weekends.

All right, uh, Guns and BBQ is making fun of my name. How dare he? And, uh, one final hard-hitting question: are you willing to make this a marathon for 4 hours and go into the next day?

Oh, hell no. I— you all would be bored to death if I tried to fill up 4 hours of me chatting with y'all. I appreciate that idea, but who said that? I'm not—

it's for most of the chat, they're all rallying behind it, you know.

From 4 minutes to 4 hours, I think I'd have to prep for that just a little more than, um, hardship, doing hard things. I mean, to be fair, I did start this whole thing off with doing hard things is what makes you more confident. I know you guys, most of these guys are on chats for hours at a time, and I just don't have that. I don't know, the fortitude possibly, and/or the ability to talk that much. But I appreciate the encouragement of that idea, but I think we'd have to plan that one out with like different speakers or something. So if y'all want to volunteer for a 4-hour thing, we can do some kind of marathon suicide prevention thing. All right, all right.

B&W Woods has just popped in at least into the chat, says that he agrees with your point that charity is a sign of strength and not weakness. Uh, Guns and BBQ says my name is now Charity, which— all right, uh, but other than that Uh, it seems to be all done. All right, well, at least I'm gonna say it's done for your sake because, well, you know, I'm quite frankly in the passenger seat and do not want to have— I don't want to be an organ donor.

Very funny. Um, yeah, well, we're almost home, so the exciting part of this is this will be the end of our 14 hours on the road soon, and, um, I don't know. Uh, the competition was fun. Uh, do hard things because it makes you happier. Struggles and things that seem horrible— oh, the suicide thing. I think we gotta get used to, uh, or often say to remind people that suicide is a permanent problem to a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Because when you're in crisis, that was one of the things that package that I opened said. It's like, when you're in crisis, you just need to be delayed from that ability to harm yourself, and that usually helps prevent suicide the most. And this is where Sarah from Hold My Guns and the NSSF with all of their packaging, um, is trying to get more people aware of, is, you know, finding out if you're suicidal, if you have friends that are suicidal, How would you help them? And it's really just about delaying that desire. Okay, I do it without anybody else saying anything.

Well, not quite. People are just saying that they would be willing to join in if you ever did plan a marathon. Everybody's being yes-men. They're very willing to help you with this possible endeavor, which I will tell— which I will say, contact her later. For now, she wants to get home, get to bed, get to sleep. And she'll come back to you all spruced up and ready.

Well, I mean, I think half of them have my email, so you can always email me. But yeah, maybe we can, we can work up to that at the end of the month for like the grand finale of Suicide Prevention September. Um, we can do like a long suicide prevention thing, and maybe I'll have like Sarah and Jake and Mario or who knows what else, and all of you who are volunteering to do a marathon session. Yeah, you all need to actually talk me into that because apparently I do well when people talk me into it. That's how I became a training counselor. All right, for real, we're on the final road.

Final, final piece of advice from Guns and BBQ: drive safe, no texting and driving, no, no driving and drinking, hands on 10-2 and eyes on the road. And with that, I think I'm gonna make the executive call to close. All right, you satisfied? I hope the chat's satisfied. Have a nice one, folks.

Yeah, I did it twice.

I know.

All right.