McKee introduces assault weapons ban legislation

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Gov. Dan McKee introduced a new bill Tuesday that would ban the sale of assault rifles in Rhode Island.

The new bill is being introduced in an effort to address gun violence and help keep communities safe.

The announcement came at a time where there has been so much devastation, in such a short amount of time, said McKee.

“Today marks the 31st day of 2023, and in those 31 short days, there has already been more than 50 mass shootings in the United States,” he said.

Last year, a similar bill was introduced to ban assault rifles, but it was never brought to the floor for a vote. However, several gun reforms were passed, including a ban on large-capacity magazines.

Those in opposition to to the bill say there needs to be harsher consequences to people who use firearms to commit crimes.

“Law abiding citizens are following the law, they are not the problem, the problem are criminals who are use firearms when they’re committing a crime,” Jessica de la Cruz, Rhode Island’s Senate Minority Leader said.

Tony Morettini, a volunteer for the Rhode Island Chapter of Moms Demand Action, said they have been fighting for this legislation for over a decade.

“We know we can respect the right to own a firearm for personal protection, while making sure we have common sense laws in place to keep guns out of the wrong hands and prevent assault weapons from flooding our communities,” he said.

Congressman David Cicilline also said he plans on introducing a similar bill on the federal level Wednesday.