MT. HOREB (WKOW) — Suicide has impacted just about every community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than 50 percent of Americans who took their lives used a firearm to do it. Now, a Mt. Horeb gun shop owner is opening his own safe, in hopes of saving lives.

“I’m a gunsmith, not a magician,” said Chuck Lovelace, the owner of Essential Shooting Supplies.

His life has been centered around serving others, spending more than 18 years in the Army.

“I did logistics and small-arms repair,” he said.

Today, he can be found spending hours in his workshop where he repairs, builds, designs and sells firearms. It’s a workshop filled with just about everything. From trophy mounts ranging from deer to boars, to hundreds of rounds of ammunition, his workroom is surrounded by his passions.

Camouflaged in it all sits a gun safe. It’s not your typical gun safe.

“It’s a heavy duty, fire-rated safe,” Lovelace added.

The guns held inside are not his own, nor are they for sale. Instead, the safe serves as a safe place for people or families who may have guns they are tempted to use on themselves.

“It’s about suicide prevention,” Lovelace explained. “Firearms are a very common usage tool for someone who is committed to the idea of suicide.”

The safe was bought by Lovelace in a partnership with Safe Communities as part of their Safe Storage of Firearms program. Lovelace’s gun shop is one of two in southern Wisconsin that offers the lockup program. Mountain Man Guns in Cambridge also offers the program.

“We provide this service for anyone. Not everybody can afford an expensive safe. Not everybody is diligent about locking their firearms up,” said Lovelace.

It’s a simple process, too.

A person or family can bring however many guns they need to, drop them off at Essential Shooting Supplies, pay five dollars for a safety check and cleaning service and sign a simple contract. The firearms are then marked with a tag that notes the guns are not for sale. The back of the tag has a number, not a name, keeping everything anonymous. When a person or family is through their crisis, the guns can be picked up.

“Absolutely,” Lovelace said. “It gives them a timeout and a step back.”

It’s an idea that Lovelace said he came up with along with Jean Papalia, with Safe Communities. It’s an offer that’s also personal for Lovelace.

“I’ve gone to the funerals of good people who should still be here. I’ve had friends commit suicide, I’ve had family members commit suicide, we’ve had two customers commit suicide. Sometimes there’s nothing we can do, but we have to try,” he said.

He’s a proud gunsmith who once served his nation overseas. Now, he’s serving his community back at home.

“If we could save one life doing it, then it’s worth it,” he said.