How stupid would it be to create a list where certain people couldn’t buy cars? Most would think it’s pretty dumb, though some might see some wisdom in barring auto sales to people who have a history of dangerous driving.

Now, let’s say the only way to have your name added to that list was to ask for it to be put there yourself. How stupid would that be?

Pretty damn dumb, right? I mean, all you have to do is just not buy a car. You don’t need a law to prevent you from buying something when you say you don’t want it.

Yet some think such a bill is great…when we’re talking about guns instead of cars. In fact, a bill just like that has advanced in the Virginia legislature.

From personal experience, Fredrick Vars came up with the idea of creating a list that would allow people to ban themselves from buying firearms.

The professor at the University of Alabama Law School has bipolar disorder and has been suicidal in the past. He didn’t think he should own a gun, and a list barring gun sales to him would provide an extra layer of protection.

“This would be a way to protect myself from making a bad decision during a depressive episode,” Vars said.

Vars has written about firearms and firearms suicide as part of his job. Recently, he started pitching this idea to state legislators across the country.

Among the handful of controversial gun control proposals being considered by the General Assembly this session, this proposal to create a voluntary “do not sell” list has been quietly moving along.

…

The bill passed the Senate on a 22-18 vote, with Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, being the only Republican to join Democrats. If it passes both chambers and the governor signs it, the legislation wouldn’t go into effect until next year.

Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, said he was surprised more Republicans and gun rights activists aren’t supportive of this concept, because there’s less government involvement, and it deals with mental health.

That’s probably because it’s stupid.

I get that Vars is saying. He was afraid that in a moment of weakness, he’d walk into a gun store and buy a gun to take his own life with. It’s a horrifying thought, I’m sure. However, if you’re having those kinds of issues, maybe it makes more sense to step into a psychologist’s office instead. After all, a gun isn’t the only way to end a life.

And that’s probably why many Republicans aren’t siding with the bill. It adds to the stigma that guns equals suicides when that’s not the case.

Further, there’s also the fact that if the situation changes and someone needs a firearm due to a threat against their person, lists like this provide a stumbling block that could cost them their lives.

As the above-linked article notes, this is a new concept so there’s absolutely no research on whether a program like this works or not. Also, because of that, we don’t know how secure these efforts actually would be. Could someone fraudulently add another’s name to the database, making it so they couldn’t purchase a firearm?

Hell, I know a lot of guys whose wives would consider it just to slow down the rate of firearm acquisition. You can’t tell me someone won’t at least try it.

That’s another concern.

However, at the end of the day, my biggest issue is that it’s still a law that requires taxpayer money in an effort to stop people from buying guns. I don’t care if they put their names there voluntarily. They can voluntarily take themselves to get help instead, admitting themselves for treatment if it’s really that bad.

Then, they won’t need to worry about guns, razor blades, rope, or gravity either.

No, this list is more about virtue signaling than anything else when it’s all said and done.