“It was pretty jolting,” Arts told the Wisconsin State Journal. He said the latest suicide made him think, “How or why does this happen? What can you do?”

Shooters started banning rentals to new customers who come alone, and staff began monitoring the shooting range more closely, Arts said. In addition, wallet-sized cards for a suicide prevention hotline were made available on the counter.

“You hope what we’ve done keeps those people from even walking in here,” Arts said.

The Gun Shop Project is an educational campaign involving posters, brochures and tip sheets discussing proper handling and storage of guns and advice on preventing their use in suicides.

Retailers are urged to use extra caution in deciding whether to sell guns to people exhibiting signs they may be suicidal. The signs include having no knowledge about guns, showing no interest in learning about guns, not caring what kind of gun they purchase, mentioning a recent crisis, avoiding eye contact and appearing distraught.

Regular customers are asked to store guns outside of their home if a loved one is struggling emotionally with job loss, legal trouble, a relationship breakup or other kind of crisis.