SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) —After losing her daughter to suicide, a mother is doing what she can to use this year’s legislative session to create change.

It’s been almost a year since Hailey Barrick died by suicide. She had been hospitalized on an involuntary mental hold just days before she passed away.

“The fact that she was able to be there four times in the year and she was still able to be let out and in less than 24 hours then she was able to go to Gary’s and she was able to get the firearm. Something should have been able to alert somebody. And the federal law only alerts when there is a commitment,” Larissa Strong, who lost her daughter to suicide, said.

Within 2 days of being released, Hailey took her own life. Because of this tragedy, Hailey’s mom knew she had to do something to protect other people with mental health issues.

“I found out that based on the mental health laws is that it’s based on commitment only. Well, then through that, I found out that less than 30% of anybody who’s put on a mental health hold are ever committed, which means, conversely, more than 70% of people who are put on a hold are not committed. So the law, the federal law doesn’t do anything for more than 70% of the people,” Strong said.

A bill before the legislature would make it so that people like Hailey, who had been on an involuntary hold, wouldn’t be able to go out and purchase firearms.

“When somebody is put on an involuntary hold, the hospital system would then be held responsible for reporting them to NICS. And then we have said that that needs to be done within the first 24 hours because it takes about 24 hours to upload into the system,” Strong said.

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That person would be put into an existing nationwide system that would prevent them from purchasing a firearm anywhere in the U.S., protecting both themselves and others.

“There is already a federal law that says that if you have mental illness, you should not be able to obtain a gun. So it is not a gun law. It is a mental health law,” Strong said, “…It’s not going to affect most people, 97%, more than 97% of people who want to go and purchase a firearm, this will not affect them. But the 3% or less that are put on hold, this could save their lives,” Strong said.

Hoping to save other people struggling with their mental health from Hailey’s fate.

“So it protects you and everybody else, honestly, throughout the United States. And that is what is important. And this is what could have saved my daughter,” Strong said.

Click here for information on Hailey’s Legacy and bill.