Modified assault weapons bill up for Senate vote despite backlash

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A bill that would ban the sale of assault weapons in Rhode Island is planned to be voted on by the Senate Friday afternoon.

However, the amendments made to the Senate version of the bill- including not banning the lawful possession of assault-style weapons- have prompted significant backlash from the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence, who referred to the proposed ban as “the weakest in the country.”

Nationally, March For Our Lives co-founder and former Democratic National Committee vice-chair David Hogg backed the RICAGV, saying that the Senate’s version of the bill was “beyond unacceptable” and sending a message of support for the bill that passed the House to the Senate bill’s co-sponsors.

The Senate’s bill includes clearer definitions of which guns would be considered banned, as well as eliminating the requirement for owners of grandfathered weapons to register them with local or state police.