10 signatures reached
To: The Idaho Legislature and Governor Brad Little
Three Days Could Save a Life: Give Idahoans 72 Hours
I’m asking the Idaho Legislature to pass, and Governor Brad Little to sign, a law requiring a minimum 72-hour waiting period between the purchase of any firearm and the buyer taking possession of it.
In 2024, 437 Idahoans died by suicide. That is more than one person every day. We need to do more than talk about this problem after another person dies. We need practical steps that could prevent the next death.
A 72-hour waiting period would still let someone buy and own a gun. It would not change who can legally own one. It would simply require a buyer to wait three days before taking possession.
During a suicide crisis, three days can matter. They give someone time to calm down, call someone, or get help. They also give friends and family more time to notice that something is wrong and step in.
Please add your name and ask Idaho lawmakers to give people those 72 hours.
Why is this important?
I started this petition because I am tired of watching another suicide become a headline, then watching all of us move on until it happens again.
Our community has seen two publicly reported suicide cases in about two months. On June 19, a woman died by suicide at Civitan Park in Idaho Falls. On August 18, police began investigating another apparent suicide at Guns N Gear. A 27-year-old woman also died by suicide at the same range in 2017.
This is not something happening somewhere else. It is happening here, in public places in our own community. A 72-hour waiting period may not have prevented these specific deaths. We cannot know that. But these tragedies should force us to ask what we can do differently and consider every practical step that could save the next person.
In 2024, suicide was the second leading cause of death for Idahoans ages 15 to 24. Idaho also had the fifth-highest firearm suicide rate among the states.
These are not abstract numbers. They represent parents, children, siblings, friends, coworkers, classmates, and neighbors. Every suicide leaves people behind who have to live with that loss.
A suicide crisis can happen fast. Someone can make a permanent decision during a moment that might have passed if they had more time. A 2026 study published in JAMA Network Open used 49 years of data from all 50 states and found that waiting-period laws were associated with 12.5 percent lower firearm suicide rates.
I support the right to own a gun. I also think we need to be honest about what can happen when someone in crisis has immediate access to one. This petition is not asking Idaho to take guns away from people who can legally own them. It is asking for time.
Three days to think. Three days to call someone. Three days to get help. Three days for someone else to notice. Three days for a crisis to pass.
Will a 72-hour waiting period stop every suicide? No. But that does not mean we should do nothing. We can respect gun rights while giving people in crisis more time before they take possession of a gun. Three days does not take away someone’s right to own one. It gives them time, and that time could save a life.
Add your name. Share this petition. Send it to your state senator and representative. Ask the Idaho Legislature and Governor Brad Little to give Idahoans those 72 hours.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988.