More gun laws would not have stopped gun show suicide

Had the man purchased the gun from a dealer, he would have been required to undergo a background check, but there was no indication he was a felon or had mental health issues, which would have triggered a denial, Smith said.

And had he been denied, Smith and several others said, the troubled man would have found another way to take his life.

"The bottom line is we see so many suicides over the years, and there are any number of ways for that to happen," Smith said.