State leaders calling for assault weapons ban in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — State leaders gathered Tuesday afternoon to push for an assault weapons ban in Rhode Island.

Gun violence advocates highlighted tragedies like Parkland and Sandy Hook in their push for the ban.

Brown University student Mia Tretta was a 15-year-old freshman at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita when a gunman opened fire there on Nov. 14, 2019.

“I ran across campus, up several flights of stairs to my Spanish classroom, and it wasn’t until I was surrounded by other terrified classmates that I realized I had been shot,” Tretta said.

Tretta spoke at Tuesday’s press conference to raise awareness of the dangers of assault weapons and advocate for a ban.

“Even if that law only saved one life, isn’t it worth it?” she said.

Governor Dan McKee once again expressed his intent to push a ban through as part of the state budget, and legislators said they will also bring it up the traditional way in the General Assembly.

“We were all elected to govern, and the number one job of elected officials in the United States of America is to provide for public safety,” Rep. Jason Knight (D-Dist. 67 Barrington, Warren) said.

“One way to protect is to get rid of these weapons and get them off our streets now,” he added.

Nine states have passed an assault weapons ban, including Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Republicans on Smith Hill have already expressed opposition to the bill and the tactics the governor has used to try and get it passed.

ABC6 reached out to the state Republican party for more on why they oppose the effort, and Rhode Island House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale offered the following statement:

“By inserting the Semiautomatic Rifle Ban into the budget, the governor has put politics over priorities. As we tackle a budget deficit, and countless Rhode Islanders sleep on the streets tonight because housing in Rhode Island is unattainable for so many, McKee plays games with our Constitutional rights. The budget is an appropriations bill, but through a cheap political stunt, he stuck this controversial gun control measure into the most important bill the legislature passes every year. A budget requires a 2/3 majority to pass. This maneuver forces legislators to choose between preserving fundamental Second Amendment rights and ensuring the government remains funded—a reckless approach to policymaking and one that can lead to the budget failing to pass.”