Q: Who funds Pause to Protect? 

A: Pause to Protect is funded through two sources (the Department of Defense’s Defense Suicide Prevention Office and USAA’s Face the Fight Foundation), who both share our passion for promoting safety and preventing suicide in military and Veteran communities. The Pause to Protect program provides monetary stipends to partner firearm businesses near military installations, but Pause to Protect materials can be used by any company and with any customer. Pause to Protect does not receive funding from the White House and the program is not-for-profit.   

Q: What roles do the funders of Pause to Protect have in the program? 

A: Funders do not have a role in the design or implementation of Pause to Protect; decisions are made by the Pause to Protect team and its firearm business partners. The Pause to Protect team meets with representatives of the funding agencies at regular intervals to provide updates and discuss ways to best help military Service Members, Veterans, and families. Their goal is to understand how community-driven programs such as Pause to Protect are effective in reaching Service Members, Veterans, and their families. The funders have no access to individual, customer-level data from the participating firearm businesses. 
 

Q: Do you collect information on customers who use Pause to Protect services? 

A: We do not collect customer information from businesses that use Pause to Protect resources. Individual firearm businesses may collect personal information as part of their usual operating procedures (as required by the ATF, federal, state, and local laws), but the Pause to Protect program itself neither requests nor has access to any of that information. Customers of businesses involved in the Face the Fight expansion effort will be asked to provide anonymous feedback on the Pause to Protect program, which will help to improve the program in the future.