Governor's Gun Reform Bills Introduced In RI House

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A package of bills aimed at creating sweeping gun reforms in Rhode Island has been introduced in the House of Representatives. Governor Gina Raimondo and Attorney General Peter Neronha unveiled the legislation on February 14, the one-year anniversary of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

Representative Justine Caldwell (D-Dist. 30, East Greenwich, West Greenwich) introduced the bills on Tuesday. The legislation would ban the sale and possession of assault weapons as well as high-capacity magazines and would penalize unsafely stored firearms.

“Our state, and our country, are suffering a crisis of gun violence. I believe in making evidence-based policy, and researchers have consistently found that America’s alarming rate of gun violence is caused by easy access to guns," Rep. Caldwell said in a statement. "My bills seek to both strongly regulate the most dangerous weapons of war and to ensure gun owners prevent others from accessing their guns. There is no one cause to our gun violence epidemic, and no one solution, but each of these bills would be an important step toward saving lives. I promised the voters of my district I would fight for common-sense gun laws, and I intend to keep my promise.”

The first bill, called the "Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2019," bans the sale and possession of assault weapons. Both law enforcement and military personnel would be exempt from the law, and those who already own assault weapons would be permitted to keep them after passing a background check.

High-capacity magazines would be outlawed under the second bill, titled the "Rhode Island Large Capacity Feeding Device Ban Act of 2019." If passed, the law would ban any device capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

The final bill creates a requirement that all weapons be stored in a locked container if not in use, or otherwise made unable to use through a lock or other safety device.

“I’m especially proud that one of my constituents, Dr. Megan Ranney, MD MPH, was a co-chair of the Governor’s Gun Safety Working Group and helped to develop and vet these proposals. As a former community organizer, I know that we representatives do our best work when we draw on the energy and expertise of members of the public in order to make good policy. I intend to continue to draw on experts like Dr. Ranney and the community in general as I work to build community and legislative support for these proposals,” Rep. Caldwell added.