Rhode Island’s Democratic-controlled state Home on Friday authorised laws that may ban the sale and manufacturing of many semiautomatic rifles generally known as assault weapons.
The proposal now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Dan McKee, who mentioned in a submit on the social platform X on Friday night that he plans to signal the invoice into regulation.
If that occurs, Rhode Island will be a part of 10 states which have some type of prohibition on high-powered firearms that have been as soon as banned nationwide and are actually largely the weapon of selection amongst these accountable for many of the nation’s devastating mass shootings.
Gun management advocates have been pushing for an assault weapons ban in Rhode Island for greater than a decade.
Nevertheless, regardless of being a Democratic stronghold, lawmakers all through the nation’s smallest state have lengthy quibbled over the need and legality of such proposals.
The invoice solely applies to the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons and never possession.
Solely Washington state has an analogous regulation.
Residents seeking to buy an assault weapon from close by New Hampshire or elsewhere may even be blocked.
Federal regulation prohibits individuals from touring to a distinct state to buy a gun and returning it to a state the place that specific of weapon is banned.
9 states and the District of Columbia have bans on the possession of assault weapons, masking main cities like New York and Los Angeles. Hawaii bans assault pistols.
Democratic Rep. Rebecca Kislak described the invoice throughout ground debates Friday as an incremental transfer that brings Rhode Island in step with neighboring states.
“I am gravely disappointed we are not doing more, and we should do more,” she mentioned. “And given the opportunity to do this or nothing, I am voting to do something.”
Critics of Rhode Island’s proposed regulation argued that assault weapons bans do little to curb mass shootings and solely punish individuals with such rifles.
“This bill doesn’t go after criminals, it just puts the burden on law-abiding citizens,” mentioned Republican Sen. Thomas Paolino.
Republican Rep. Michael Chippendale, Home minority chief, predicted that if the laws have been to turn into regulation, the US. Supreme Court docket would ultimately deem it unconstitutional.
“We are throwing away money on this,” he mentioned.
It wasn’t simply Republicans who opposed the laws. David Hogg — a gun management advocate who survived the 2018 faculty capturing in Parkland, Florida — and the Rhode Island Coalition In opposition to Gun Violence described the proposed ban because the “weakest assault weapons ban in the country.”
“I know that Rhode Islanders deserve a strong bill that not only bans the sale, but also the possession of assault weapons. It is this combination that equals public safety,” Hogg mentioned in a press release.
Elisabeth Ryan, coverage counsel at Everytown for Gun Security, rejected claims that the proposed regulation is weak.
“The weakest law is what Rhode Island has now, no ban on assault weapons,” Ryan mentioned. “This would create a real, enforceable ban on the sale and manufacture of assault weapons, just like the law already working in Washington state, getting them off the shelves of Rhode Island gun stores once and for all.”
Nationally, assault weapons bans have been challenged in courtroom by gun rights teams that argue the bans violate the Second Modification. AR-15-style firearms are among the many best-selling rifles within the nation.
The conservative-majority Supreme Court docket could quickly take up the problem.
The justices declined to listen to a problem to Maryland’s assault weapons ban in early June, however three conservative justices — Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas — publicly famous their disagreement.
A fourth, Brett Kavanaugh, indicated he was skeptical that the bans are constitutional and predicted the courtroom would hear a case “in the next term or two.”
