Rhode Island Gun Bill Criticized as More Political Than Practical

“House Bill H8073 (link to read the bill) shows exactly how empty that promise was,” says the mailing from RI Gun Rights

The bill is sponsored by: Introduced By: Representatives Tanzi, Boylan, Alzate, Stewart, Kislak, Handy, Ajello,
Giraldo, and Edwards and will go before the House Judiciary Committee.

What This Bill Does

From RI Gun Rights: The 2025 law banned future sales of certain firearms. H8073 makes possession of those same firearms illegal. Sell it, move it out of state, or become a felon.

Introduced on February 27, 2026 and now sitting in the House Judiciary Committee, the bill expands the 2025 gun ban and targets firearms that Rhode Islanders already legally own.

The one word that flies in the intention of the 2nd Amendment? Possession. That one word makes the bill so over the top that advocates feel as though it is political in nature, giving legislators a platform to speak about gun control, and for supporters to look like they are “doing something”, but knowing that that one word is more than likely a constitutional and passage death knell. The one word, possession, is frought with constitutional issues and enforcement nightmares.

So, take out the death knell word – “possession” – and what do you have? This bill largely collapses back into existing law—underscoring that its entire impact is not a mature, serious look at gun control, but an exercise in looking like it is.

The Key Change

The 2025 law restricted the manufacture, sale, transfer, and purchase of firearms the state labeled as “prohibited firearms.” During that debate legislators removed the confiscation provision and allowed firearms that were owned before the law went into effect to remain legal through so-called grandfathering.

Now it’s back.

The statute would now prohibit anyone from manufacturing, selling, transferring, possessing, or purchasing a prohibited firearm. That single change turns a ban on future sales into a ban on ownership.

Rhode Islanders who legally purchased these firearms could now become felons for simply keeping their justly acquired private property, guaranteed the the 2nd Amendment.

Here is the bill:

Forced Disposal

The bill gives current owners a short window to get rid of their firearms. Anyone who already possesses one would have until December 31, 2026 to:

• sell it to a federally licensed dealer, or
• transfer it to someone outside Rhode Island who can legally possess it

After that deadline, possession becomes a felony. In plain terms the state is ordering citizens to sell their property, move it out of state, or become a criminal.

Criminal Penalties and Confiscation

What could not pass last year as confiscation is now being pushed through by redefining possession as a crime. Violating this law carries serious consequences.

Someone convicted under the statute could face:

• up to 10 years in prison
• fines up to $10,000
• permanent forfeiture of the firearm

That means a Rhode Island resident who followed every law when purchasing their firearm could still be arrested, prosecuted, and ultimately thrown into a cage for refusing to give it up.

Gun owners were told their firearms would be grandfathered. Now the same lawmakers are trying to turn those owners into felons.

What Happens Next

House Bill H8073 is currently before the House Judiciary Committee, which will decide whether the bill advances. Will it be a sea of yellow shirts vs red and orange shirts?  Maybe. But more and more 2nd amendment advocates are taking their cases to courts rather than play into the political show.

Rhode Island Would Stand Alone

There is essentially no state that has done what this Rhode Island bill proposes (banning possession of previously legal firearms without grandfathering).

While several states have enacted bans on certain firearms, those laws have consistently included grandfather provisions allowing existing owners to keep what they already possess. A law requiring lawful owners to give up previously legal firearms or face criminal penalties would represent a significant departure from how such policies have been implemented across the country. Bills, such as in Virginia, were amended to include a nod to the Second Amendment and possibilities of being immediately overturned.

The Australia Experiment

Australia’s sweeping gun reforms following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre took a very different approach, pairing a ban on certain firearms with a government-funded buyback program that compensated owners and created a clear, structured path to compliance. Hundreds of thousands of firearms were voluntarily surrendered during a defined amnesty period, and the country has since maintained strict national standards on licensing and ownership. Supporters point to a sustained decline in gun-related deaths and the absence of mass shootings on the same scale as evidence of success, while critics argue the policy came at the cost of individual rights and question whether cultural and geographic differences make it a poor comparison to the United States. Nearly three decades later, Australia’s system remains firmly in place, often cited as one of the most comprehensive—and controversial—gun control models in the world.

The Virginia Big Edit

The latest ban bill being watched is in Virginia where lawmakers considered more aggressive restrictions during this year’s debate – similar to Rhode Island’s bill –  but the final bill preserves grandfathering—allowing current owners to keep their firearms. That stands in contrast to proposals that would make possession itself illegal.

Enforcement – The Devil is in the Details:

What is perhaps most troubling about this legislation is not only what it does, but what it fails to do. It criminalizes possession and imposes severe penalties, yet offers no clear framework for how enforcement would actually occur—leaving that entirely to interpretation and circumstance. There is no guidance on standards, priorities, or protections beyond existing constitutional baselines, creating uncertainty for both citizens and law enforcement. Laws that carry felony consequences should not rely on ambiguity for their execution. On that basis alone, this bill raises serious concerns and, in my view, should not advance.

Where does Law Enforcement stand on this bills?  The ACLU? The RI AG?

We will be following this bill as it works its way through the RI legislature.

Follow RI  Gun Rights for up to date action on this bill.