McKee signing assault weapons ban Thursday morning

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Governor Dan McKee, flanked by lawmakers and gun safety advocates, plans to sign the assault weapons ban that made it through the General Assembly into law Thursday morning at 9:30.

The bill would ban the sale and manufacturing of assault-style weapons, but would not ban possession.

It has been the source of controversies in this General Assembly session, with many gun rights advocates saying that it infringes upon their constitutional rights and some gun control advocates saying that the bill proposed and passed by the Senate, which is more lenient than the House’s bill, does not go far enough to protect Rhode Islanders.

Both chambers agreed to pass the Senate’s version of the bill on the final day of the General Assembly’s 2025 session.

Ten other states- including Massachusetts and Connecticut- already have a version of an assault-style weapons ban.

The assault weapons ban will go into effect on July 1, 2026.