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6/11/2026
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Assembly OKs bill requiring simple suicide-prevention steps at gun ranges
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Bristol mother was force behind legislation
STATE HOUSE – The General Assembly today approved legislation to help prevent suicide at gun ranges by requiring the posting of signs about the state’s suicide and crisis hotline, and requiring non-members who visit member-based ranges to be accompanied at all times.
The legislation, which will now be sent to the governor, was introduced by Rep. Susan R. Donovan and Sen. Louis P. DiPalma as a result of the advocacy of a Bristol mother, Jamie Brooks, whose 22-year-old son died by suicide at a Tiverton gun range in November.
In testimony for the bill, Brooks told lawmakers that her son, JJ, was a bright, creative and kind young man who had suffered a breakdown three years ago as a freshman in college, and had seemingly been doing better with the help of medication and therapy, having returned to school and work. Due to a minor run-in with the law, JJ was “red-flagged,” preventing him from being able to purchase a firearm. But that prohibition did not prevent him from renting one at gun range. His death was the second suicide at that gun range within two months.
Brooks said the bill’s requirements that ranges post signs about Rhode Island’s suicide hotline and prevent nonmembers from being alone could make a difference for some in a time of need.
“In a moment of crisis, seconds matter, impulses pass. It might just stop a permanent decision in a moment of crisis. If JJ needed to pause, if he hadn’t been alone, there is a possibility, just a possibility that he might still be here,” she told the House Judiciary Committee in April. “The bill’s not going to stop suicide, but it can interrupt it…. It can save lives.”
The legislation (2026-H 8069A, 2026-S 2958A) will require all shooting ranges in Rhode Island to conspicuously post, in any areas where shooting occurs, a sign that says, in English and Spanish, “WARNING: If you or a loved one is experiencing distress and/or depression, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis hotline or text “HOME” to 741741.”
It also requires that ranges that operate on a membership basis require that any nonmember be accompanied by a member or staff member at all times while on the premises.
Representative Donovan noted in her testimony for the legislation that an estimated 35 suicides occurred at shooting ranges across the nation last year. Of those, 86% of victims rented a weapon, and 88% arrived alone. While many ranges already take some steps to prevent suicide, this bill will ensure all take at least these measures.
“Gun ranges, of course, would like to avoid these tragedies, which are traumatizing for everyone. These are a couple of small, cost-free steps that gun ranges can take to help save lives,” said Senator DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Little Compton, Newport, Tiverton).
Said Representative Donovan (D-Dist. 69, Bristol, Portsmouth), “We are very grateful to Jamie Brooks for bravely taking action in the midst of her own grief to prevent other families’ and other victims’ suffering. That’s a remarkable and courageous tribute to her son’s memory.”
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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