RI House of Representatives Approves Assault Weapons Ban

RI House of Representatives Approves Assault Weapons Ban

The House of Representatives voted 43-28 in favor of legislation to ban assault weapons in Rhode Island. The legislation now moves to the Senate.

Gun control advocates called the vote “historic.”

"It is a historic day in the RI House of Representatives," said Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence Executive Director Melissa Carden. “And now we move on to the Senate, where we are confident gun safety champion and Senate President Val Lawson will make sure this legislation gets to the Senate floor for a vote.”

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Legislative leaders have blocked the legislation for a decade. And, it is expected that the legislation will face greater challenges in the Senate.

“Uvalde, Parkland, Las Vegas, the Pulse nightclub, Newtown, Aurora — in all of our nation’s deadliest mass shootings, the tool that enabled the perpetrator to kill so many victims was an assault weapon. They are preferred weapon of mass shooters because their sole purpose is to vastly increase the magnitude of death and destruction their user can inflict. We don’t need them here in Rhode Island,” said Representative Jason Knight (D-Dist. 67, Barrington, Warren), the sponsor of the legislation. “I am grateful to the many people who, year after year, have worked hard and shown up to advocate for this bill, which has evolved through study, collaboration and listening over all that time. I thank the many representatives who stood up today for the safety of all Rhode Islanders. I urge our colleagues the Senate to pass this bill and make this the year we take action to end the proliferation of powerful weapons that enable mass shooters to kill as many victims as possible.”

The legislation (2025-H 5436A) would prohibit the manufacture, purchase, sale, transfer and possession of certain assault weapons including certain types of semi-automatic shotguns, rifles and pistols, and would levy criminal penalties for anyone convicted of violating the ban. Exemptions are provided for current and retired law enforcement officers, active-duty members of the armed forces, National Guard or reserves, federally licensed firearm dealers and individuals who lawfully possess an assault weapon when the ban takes effect on July 1, 2026.

The bill was amended by the House Judiciary Committee to include more precise definitions of the weapons that would be prohibited. The amendment also eliminated a requirement that owners of grandfathered weapons register them with local or state police. Instead, it creates a voluntary program through which those who already own assault weapons could get a certificate of possession from their local police department that would serve as legally admissible proof that their weapon is grandfathered. To assuage concerns that such certificates would serve as a de facto registry, the amendment’s language prohibits police from keeping any record of the application or granting of such certificates.

Since the certificate program would be voluntary, grandfathered owners could legally opt to do nothing when the bill takes effect.

Grandfathered owners would be subject to limitations on where they could possess the weapons. Allowable places would include their home, business or other property they own, licensed gun ranges and shooting clubs, sanctioned gun expos and similar events, and while transporting the weapon to and from such places or to a licensed gun dealer.