Northern Virginia state Sen. Scott Surovell said he’s known people that bought a gun and killed themselves on the same day.
The Democratic lawmaker, who represents Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford counties, sponsored Senate Bill 436, which establishes a voluntary do-not-sell list for people worried about what they might do if they owned a gun.
“The idea is that you’re allowed to put yourself on a list that would prohibit anyone from selling you a firearm, when you put in your name for an instant background check,” Surovell told WTOP.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, two-thirds of gun deaths in Virginia are suicides.
“There’s some people out there going through the throes of mental illness, trying to get through on medication. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Especially when you have disorders like bipolar disorder, where people are up and down,” said Surovell.