Rhode Island General Assembly passes assault weapons ban

Gino DeAngelis,

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island General Assembly passed legislation that bans the sale and ownership of certain “military-style weapons” in the state.

The bill was voted on by both the Senate and House of Representatives Friday.

The legislation prohibits the “manufacture, purchase, sale, or transfer of certain firearms, including certain types of semi-automatic rifles, as well as shotguns with a fixed magazine exceeding six rounds, or a revolving cylinder.”

Current lawful owners of the banned weapons would be able to keep them, with special exceptions for law enforcement agencies and federally licensed firearms dealers, who could accept the banned weapons and resell them to other licensed dealers, law enforcement, or outside of the state.

The bill does not ban the possession of firearms without the “military-style” features.

Criminal penalties for anyone convicted of violating the ban would be up to 10 years in prison, or a fine up to $10,000, and forfeiture of the firearm.

A spokesperson for the General Assembly said the bill was amended to include “more precise” definitions of the weapons that would be prohibited, and eliminated a requirement that owners of grandfathered weapons register them with local or state police.

There was also an amendment for a voluntary registration program that was in the House of Representatives version of the bill that was ultimately removed.

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and the Rhode Island chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action said the passage of the bill was a “victory for gun safety.”

“Rhode Island lawmakers just reaffirmed that in an age of political polarization, gun safety can bridge the divide and bring people together around common-sense measures to keep their communities safe,” President of Everytown for Gun Safety John Feinblatt said.

House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale said the passage of the bill was a “dark day for constitutional governance” and that the bill would bring legal challenges.

“These are the very same lawmakers who, just weeks ago, decried administrative pay increases of $80,000 as irresponsible during a time of budget crisis,” he said. “And yet, with full knowledge that this bill will trigger immediate and expensive legal challenges, they voted to expose our already strained state budget to the guaranteed costs of defending an unconstitutional law in court. The price tag? Hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of taxpayer dollars. Their hypocrisy is staggering.”

Rhode Island Young Republican Chairman Ken Naylor, Jr. said that the passage was an “infringement on constitutional rights,” and vowed that more conservatives would run for office in the state.

“It is clear that nothing will stop Democrats and their progressive agenda at the state house, not even the constitution can prevent them from infringing on our rights,” he said.

The bill now goes to Gov. Dan McKee to sign into law, where it would go into effect on July 1, 2026.

Categories: News, Providence, Rhode Island

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