Assault Weapons Ban Passes RI Legislature — Now to Governor, Then Courts

General Assembly approves assault weapons ban

Statement from the RI General Assembly – has approved legislation to ban certain military-style weapons in Rhode Island. The bill now goes to the governor.

“This bill is the result of many, many years of advocacy, work and collaboration. Polls show that almost two-thirds of Rhode Islanders support banning assault-style weapons in our state. We all know the impact they’ve had in our country; they are the weapons that have been used in the most lethal mass shootings carried out in the United States,” said Sen. Louis P. DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Little Compton, Tiverton, Newport), the sponsor of the legislation (2025-S 0359A). “This bill will end the proliferation of these weapons in our state and, as the experience in other states with similar bans has shown, will result in significantly fewer of them as time goes on.”

Said Representative Jason Knight (D-Dist. 67, Barrington, Warren), who sponsored companion legislation (2025-H 5436A) in the House, “I’m pleased that my colleagues in the General Assembly have supported a bill that, when combined with existing federal law, turns off the spigot of AR-style weapons in Rhode Island and will diminish their numbers as well as gun violence in our state. This bill is the culmination of immense effort on the part of so many people over the years, and it is the last remaining major recommendation of the gun-safety working group formed after the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. These are the weapons of choice for mass shooters because they can inflict maximum death and injury in very little time, and we shouldn’t wait for a large-scale tragedy to prohibit their sale in our state.”

What was compromised?

The legislation prohibits the manufacture, purchase, sale, or transfer of certain firearms, sometimes referred to as military style weapons, including certain types of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns with a fixed magazine exceeding six rounds or a revolving cylinder. Individuals in lawful possession of the covered firearms can continue to possess them. The legislation includes exceptions for law enforcement agencies and federally licensed firearms dealers. Federally licensed dealers would still be authorized to accept the specified firearms and to sell them to other licensed dealers, law enforcement, or outside of the state to individuals who can lawfully possess them.

Criminal penalties for anyone convicted of violating the ban include up to 10 years in prison, or a fine up to $10,000, and forfeiture of the firearm. The bill would take effect on July 1, 2026.

The bill was amended to include more precise definitions of the weapons that would be prohibited, and eliminate a requirement that owners of grandfathered weapons register them with local or state police. It also does not include a voluntary program, proposed in House-passed legislation, through which those who already own the specified weapons could get a certificate of possession from their local police department. Removal of this provision helps to assuage concerns that such language was tantamount to an unconstitutional gun registry.

“I commend Chairman DiPalma and Representative Knight for their incredible leadership, passion and dedication to achieving this significant step forward in preventing gun violence in our state, and I’m very proud of my colleagues in the General Assembly for standing up for this important public safety legislation,” said Senate Valarie J. Lawson (D-Dist. 14, East Providence). “I want to thank Majority Leader Frank Ciccone and Senate Judiciary Chairman Matthew LaMountain for their work to bring this bill to fruition, and I especially want to thank Speaker Joseph Shekarchi for working with us on this issue and for his partnership in leadership throughout the session.”

Said House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick), “I’m very proud of the common-sense gun control legislation sponsored by Representative Jason Knight that the House passed on June 5 to limit the number of military-style assault weapons in our state. However, in the State House, the art of compromise is essential in order to get good things done. The House has recognized what is achievable at the present moment for the greater good of our state, and we have passed the revised legislation. Most Rhode Islanders want to protect the state from the specter of gun violence and this legislation gets us closer to accomplishing that goal.”

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Listen to the reaction of Rep. Michael Chippendale, in the wee hours of the morning, on the passage of the Assault Weapons Ban. Pat Ford was one of two reporters still on the scene and captured the opposition’s position on the actions of the Rhode Island legislature – noting Gov. McKee is expected to sign the bill – and actions will begin immediately to challenge it legally as unconstitutional:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CA21hdqbd/ 

Rhode Island House Minority Leader Chippendale Comments 

Rhode Island House Minority Leader Michael W. Chippendale offers the following statement in regard to the Assault Weapons Ban legislation:

The passage of the amended Assault Weapons Ban marks a dark day for constitutional governance in Rhode Island. What was once presented as a public safety measure has now been fully unmasked as nothing more than a political trophy – an opportunistic maneuver by a handful of ambitious politicians desperate to elevate their public profiles and position themselves for higher office.

These are the very same lawmakers who, just weeks ago, decried administrative pay increases of $80,000 as irresponsible during a time of budget crisis. And yet, with full knowledge that this bill will trigger immediate and expensive legal challenges, they voted to expose our already strained state budget to the guaranteed costs of defending an unconstitutional law in court. The price tag? Hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of taxpayer dollars. Their hypocrisy is staggering.

Let’s call it what it is: political theater, funded by the citizens of Rhode Island. These politicians are not standing on principle – they are using this bill as a weapon in their own political campaigns. Whether it’s an attempt to deny the Governor a policy victory or to bolster their own bid for Attorney General, their actions are driven not by public safety, but by personal ambition.

Worse still is the blatant disregard for the Constitution. These elected officials – who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution – have shredded that oath for the sake of a headline and a talking point. They know this bill flies in the face of the Second Amendment and recent Supreme Court precedent in Heller and Bruen. They know it targets law-abiding citizens while doing nothing to disarm criminals. And they know it will fail in court. Yet they voted for it anyway.

This legislation is nothing more than an insult to the law-abiding firearm owners in Rhode Island. It criminalizes the continued lawful purchase of firearms that are legal, stored safely, and used responsibly. It also undermines our eligibility for vital federal conservation funds, jeopardizing public land maintenance and our outdoor recreation economy. It will harm Rhode Island businesses, cost us jobs, and decrease revenue – all in the name of political ambition. And just as the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban – it will not stop a single crime, as criminals simply don’t follow the laws of our state and nation. To believe this ban will have any different result is naïve at best, and dishonest as worst.

Let’s also not forget the deceptive tactics employed to manufacture support for this bill. National groups like Everytown deliberately manipulated our public input process, misleading both the public and this legislative body. Their email campaigns were engineered to trick gun rights supporters into submitting pro-ban messages. These dishonest tactics further erode any credibility the supporters of this bill claim to have.

The truth is evident: this legislation is legally vulnerable, fiscally irresponsible, economically damaging, and wildly unpopular with the people of Rhode Island. Opposition at the State House outnumbered supporters by an overwhelming margin. The public testimony was clear. The emails to legislators have been unmistakable.

What just passed was not a thoughtful policy – it was a campaign stunt. And the people of Rhode Island will be the ones who pay the price.

I remain committed to protecting the constitutional rights of Rhode Islanders and will oppose every attempt to erode them in the name of political ambition.

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• The bill prohibits the manufacture, transfer, and sale of the semi-automatic assault rifles that have been used in the country’s deadliest mass shootings — AR-15s and AK-47s — which account for the vast majority of assault weapons sold today. This bill covers the majority of the assault weapons market.
  • If someone wanted an AR-15 or AK-47 rifle after the date of enactment, they would have to purchase one with a fixed magazine — like the models currently sold in Massachusetts and New York. These guns are slower to reload, giving bystanders valuable time to escape a mass shooting situation.
• Semi-automatic rifles are deadly because they fire high-velocity ammunition, are easy to reload, and have shoulder stocks that make them more suitable to use in war, especially when firing rapidly.
  • The bill does not address a number of firearms commonly used for self-defense, hunting, and competitive shooting, including most semi-automatic shotguns and pistols.
• This bill is similar to Washington State’s law that bans sales, purchases, and transfers of assault weapons but does not restrict possession.

This is a developing story