2026 Suicide Prevention and Voluntary Restriction Bills

The 2026 session includes a coordinated set of bills aimed at reducing firearm suicides through voluntary programs and awareness measures^[1].

Voluntary Firearm Restriction Lists (H7636 / S2971)

House Bill 7636 (Reps. Boylan, Caldwell, Casimiro, and others) and Senate Bill 2971 (Sens. Valverde, Lauria, Kallman, and others) would create a voluntary program allowing individuals to place themselves on a do-not-sell or do-not-possess list, administered by the Attorney General. Key features:

• Individuals can choose temporary or indefinite restriction periods
• The program includes confidentiality protections
• Penalties apply for violations (selling to a listed person)
• Administrative procedures for requesting removal from the list

Similar programs exist in Virginia and Washington state. The concept is modeled on gambling self-exclusion lists.

Shooting Range Signage Enacted (H8069 / S2958)

House Bill 8069 (Reps. Donovan, Boylan, Tanzi, and others) and Senate Bill 2958 (Sens. DiPalma, Lauria, DiMario, LaMountain) passed both chambers in amended Substitute A form and were signed into law on June 18, 2026. The new law adds RIGL 11-47-60.5, which requires every shooting range to conspicuously post warning signs, in English and Spanish, in any area where shooting activity occurs. Each sign must be at least 8.5 by 11 inches with black text on a white background in at least 36-point font, directing anyone experiencing distress or depression to call the 988 Suicide and Crisis hotline or text HOME to 741741. A shooting range that operates on a membership basis must also require any non-member to be accompanied at all times by a member or a staff member of the range while on the premises and while engaging in shooting activity. The enacted version contains no employee training requirement, and it took effect upon passage rather than on January 1, 2027.

Current Status

The two tracks ended differently. H7636 and S2971, the voluntary restriction list bills, were heard by their respective Judiciary Committees between April 8 and April 14, 2026 and held for further study. The 2026 regular session adjourned sine die on June 11, 2026 without either bill passing, and they would need to be reintroduced in a future session. H8069 and S2958 passed and were signed into law on June 18, 2026, making the range-signage measure the only firearms legislation enacted in the 2026 session. The bills were described by sponsors as complementary to the state's existing Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) system, offering proactive voluntary measures alongside the court-ordered reactive measures already available^[2].