Earlier today I found out that Bob Owens, a friend and my counterpart at BearingArms.com, passed away.

Bob was a good, kind man, who I had a lot of respect for and valued highly. We both started writing about firearms at around the same time. Bob and his Co-Editor, Jenn Jacques, built up BearingArms.com into the forminable firearms/2A news site that it is today.

I know Bob is going to be mourned not only by his family, but by gun enthusiasts all over the country. My thoughts are with Bob’s family, his co-workers and especially Jenn, who made this statement on Twitter a few hours ago:

I apologize, but this is all I have to say at this time. Please keep his family in your prayers. pic.twitter.com/a2rNJcrCXQ

— Jenn Jacques (@JennJacques) May 9, 2017

Mental health issues not only affect men disproportionately, but men are far less likely to seek help. If you have problems you cannot deal with, please seek help. It takes a lot of courage, but it is worth it. If you can’t talk to a friend or family member, talk to a doctor, if you can’t talk to a doctor, to a church or synagogue and ask to speak to a pastor/rabbi.

If you have a friend who you suspect is suffering from a mental illness, talk to them. Ask them what is going on and let them know you are willing to listen if they need to talk. It is really hard (I know from experience) and you may well get a negative reaction but you also might be the one person in the world who can help them.

(I am leaving the comments open below for a short period of time. Please only post respectful comments).