Armed with a wish list of gun safety proposals, Gov. Ralph Northam is summoning state lawmakers back to Richmond on July 9.

Northam announced Tuesday he’s using his executive power to call a special session, which he said was needed after a gunman walked into the Virginia Beach Municipal Center and killed 12 people and injured four on May 31.

The Democratic governor said legislators need to address the thousands of lives lost every year by gunfire.

He announced the date of the special session Friday in a statement.

“The governor is requesting that members of the General Assembly engage in an open and transparent debate, in which the bills brought before the legislature are put to a vote by the entire General Assembly,” the statement said.