According to a 2025 report from the The Center for Gun Violence Solutions and The Center for Suicide Prevention at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, gun-related suicides in the U.S. reached record highs in 2023 with 27,300 — or 58% — of all gun deaths being suicides; 90% of suicide attempts involving guns are fatal.(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Democratic lawmakers are proposing a way for Wisconsinites who are experiencing depression or suicidal ideation to voluntarily put themselves on a “do not buy” list that would block them from being able to purchase a handgun themselves.
Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and Rep. Lee Snodgrass (D-Appleton) said in a cosponsorship memo that the bill would honor the Wisconsinites who have died by suicide including former Rep. Jonathan Brostoff, who killed himself in 2024.
“We all deserve to live free from the fear of gun violence — whether that be in public or in the comfort of our homes. Last year, many of us in the Capitol lost a dear friend in Jonathan Brostoff, and there are many more people around the state who died by suicide using a gun,” Roys said in a statement. “It is our hope that we can honor their memories by offering a helping hand to anyone who is struggling with thoughts of self-harm.”
The lawmakers said the bill is picking up on the work of Brostoff, who was an advocate for improving access to mental health services. During his time in the Legislature, Brostoff also served as a member of the 2019 Speakers’ Task Force on Suicide Prevention.
Lawmakers, many of whom served with him, honored him on the floor of the Legislature earlier this year.
After Brostoff’s death, Gov. Tony Evers called on lawmakers to pass a similar policy.
“A big part of preventing gun suicide is access to intervention: the time and space between the person and the firearm are crucial,” the lawmakers said in a memo.
According to a 2025 report from the The Center for Gun Violence Solutions and The Center for Suicide Prevention at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, gun-related suicides in the U.S. reached record highs in 2023 with 27,300 — or 58% — of all gun deaths being suicides; 90% of suicide attempts involving guns are fatal.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) would be required to maintain a list under the bill. The proposal would provide $150,000 in state funding to the Department of Justice for the purposes of maintaining the list.
A person would be able to request a prohibition for one year, five years with the first year being irrevocable or a 20-year period with the first year being irrevocable.
The prohibition could be removed if someone submitted a request to the DOJ outside of the irrevocable period. After receiving a request for the revocation of a prohibition, the DOJ would have to wait 48 hours to remove the person from the database.
Snodgrass said in a statement that people experiencing suicidal ideation need ways to protect themselves.
“A constituent came to me in a time of crisis, feeling helpless that when they hoped to add themselves to a ‘do not sell’ list, found there was no process and no such list,” Snodgrass said. “Thankfully, my constituent is thriving today and we are grateful for their advocacy on this issue to help save lives in the future.”
A “Do Not Sell” list — also known as a ‘Voluntary Prohibition of Handgun Purchases’ list — has been adopted in a handful of other states, including Washington, Utah and Virginia. Reporting from The Trace in 2024 found that within the six years only about 130 people had participated in the program.
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