Rhode Island lawmakers convene to discuss gun control

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A major hearing on Rhode Island gun laws happened at the State House on Monday.

Hundreds of Second Amendment advocates as well as pro-regulation supporters came out to testify.

One of the topics on the table — a gun storage bill requiring gun owners to lock their weapons away at home properly.

“I think every firearms owner should absolutely be 100% on board with safe storage, however the government shouldn’t be legislating that,” Maj Toure, the founder of Black Guns Matter, said.

Most are in agreement with the storage bill but want to do it on their own terms.

For one mother who lost her 16-year-old son to a gun, that was not locked away, this bill — called Dillon’s Law — named after her son, is an important one.

“My heart breaks for the parents who have, and continue to lose their children due to gun violence. As a mom I only had one son, and I will never have grandchildren from him, so just to not see that life go forward is disheartening,” Rhonda Brewster told ABC 6 News.

Another bill to come up was the ban on assault rifles, which also received a lot of support. 

Republicans argued it is not the gun that kills, but the person shooting.

“People with the inclination to behave like criminals, will continue to behave like criminals, none of these laws will stop them, none of them,” House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale said Monday night. 

“When someone does something wrong with a tool, I’m so glad, most times, there’s someone else with another tool, a good person, to stop that person,” Toure said. 

Because this was a hearing, no votes were taken, and no further date has been announced as to when that’ll happen.