In 2022 the CDC began a nationwide search to find ways to reduce gun injuries and deaths with a focus on accident, assault, and suicide. They solicited plans from experts in law enforcement, the gun industry, hospitals, and centers for higher learning. As a result of that search, the GAASP [Gun Accidental Assault & Suicide Prevention] program was developed by a blue-ribbon panel of experts in Law Enforcement, clinical psychology, and seasoned shooting instructors.
GAASP is a simple educational course that is taught as part of the LTC [License to Carry] class or a standard gun safety course. It identifies the three leading causes of gun injury/death (accident, assault, & suicide) and gives very practical and easy-to-use tips and tools to dramatically decrease the chances of you, or a loved one, being injured by a gun. The Weston Shooters Club & Apex Shooting Center were early adopters of the GAASP program and have successfully trained thousands of students. The program has received 98% positive feedback. Every responsible gun owner needs to take this class!
Contributors
Click the image for bio.
William G. Gross
Former Boston Police Commissioner
Decorated Former Police Commissioner of the Boston Police Department, William Gross served the people of Boston in various ranks, including a stint on the Youth Violence Strike Force, for the last 38 years. He could often be found on the front lines interacting with the community activists, grieving families, clergy, neighbors, and even protestors. His wide-ranging knowledge of the ways in which firearm violence affects the community was integral to the development of the GAASP Program.
Benjamin Eliot Liston
Harvard Trained Therapist
A Harvard trained educator certified in Risk Prevention greatly contributed to the GAASP program through his deep understanding of family dynamics and how they affect youth’s attitudes toward problem resolution. He has spent much of his career in the Massachusetts Department of Education focused on early intervention and working with young people to mitigate and prevent violence.
Cleveland M. Coats, Jr
30 yr Mass State Police Officer
Retired Sergeant of the Massachusetts State Police is a highly-trained firearms instructor specializing in Counter Terrorism, Tactical SWAT/K-9 Team Operations, Active Shooter Countermeasures and Executive Protection. Coats’s years of real-life experience with weaponry were essential to the development of GAASP as a training program for responsible firearms use.
Fred Sears
Firearms Safety Instructor
A decades long firearms enthusiast, Sears has been a decades long advocate of firearms safety standards and training protocols.
He pursued his passion by completing advanced training courses at the Smith & Wesson Academy and Sig Sauer Academy. Sears is also an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor and NRA Certified Home Firearms Safety expert. His knowledge of “firearms in the home” dynamics greatly contributed to the GAASP program.
Steven R. Casstevens, CPC
Former President, IACP
Casstevens, former President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, began his law enforcement career in 1976 in the Military Police with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. He continued on to serve as Chief of Police in Illinois with the Buffalo Grove, Cary and Hoffman Estates Police Departments. He is also the former President of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and served on the Executive Committee of “Fight Crime - Invest in Kids”. His contributions to GAASP have been a keystone of the program.
Supporters
“[GAASP has] the potential to substantially reduce firearm-related violence, injuries, death, or crime within populations or settings experiencing elevated risk of gun violence.”
“The combination of [GAASP] strategies would positively impact overall gun-related accidents, firearm assaults, firearm suicide/self-harm, unintentional firearm deaths and injuries, and firearm-related crime…”
“I applaud [GAASP] for their outward thinking and bringing a much needed aspect of education to the communities…”
“...firearms education, safety and training are necessary components for any responsible gun owners and critical information for non-gun owners, in reducing firearm related violence and preventing injuries… I have been a police officer for over twenty-five years and truly believe that this [program] will absolutely contribute to preventing unnecessary injuries and protecting our communities.”
“[GAASP will] improve training for firearm owners and provide them with the skills and tools needed to ensure safety for firearm owners and family members.”
“I have learned that respect for firearms must always be upheld. The only effective way is through training and the explanation of what the term ‘safety’ means. In my roles as a business owner, and subsequently, as the Secretary of Commerce for Florida, I have pushed the need for safety awareness when bringing new firearm owners into our world.”