Rhode Island: Senate Judiciary Committee Will Conduct Remote “Gun Bill Day” Monday

[Charlie T Waite]

Calling all Rhode Island gun owners!  A month ago, the House Judiciary Committee had an all-night hearing on gun bills, and this time it is the Senate’s turn.  Undeterred by COVID closures, anti-gun politicians refuse to take a day off when it comes to trampling on your Second Amendment rights.  It is extremely important that NRA members sign up to testify and make their voices heard.  Even if you participated in the House hearing, we need your support once again.  Testimony need not include anything more than your short statement of opposition to these infringements.  There are almost two dozen gun bills up for consideration, and you can review them all on the state webpage, but we have included a small sample to demonstrate that these bills really are the worst of the worst.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear the following bills on Monday, April 12 at 3 p.m.:

S.406, by Sen. Jim Seveney, requires mandatory storage and establishes penalties as a felony!  This will result in a lifetime gun ban.

S.414, by Sen. Gayle Goldin, bans magazines holding more than 10 rounds.  Criminals do not follow magazine bans, and this legislation will not impact public safety.  However, it will put law-abiding gun owners at a distinct disadvantage in self-defense situations. 

S.73, by Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, will prohibit carry in K-12 schools.  This is currently allowed under existing law, and there has never been a problem.  This bill has been introduced for at least 10 years, and during that time there have been no issues.  It has truly become a solution is desperate search of a problem. 

S.415, by Sen. Joshua Miller, bans possession, sale and transfer of commonly-owned semi-automatic rifles.  Similar to the magazine bill, we know this legislation will not work.  There was a federal “assault weapons ban” from 1994 until 2004, and when that law expired without being renewed, a U.S. Department of Justice study revealed that the ban did not have a significant impact on crime.  The bottom line is that this is an outright gun ban on one of the country’s most popular firearms.

In addition to the sample of bad legislation outlined above, there are also a couple good bills on the agenda as well.

S. 509, by Sen. Gordon Rogers, will expand CCW reciprocity.

S.508 and S.517, by Sen. Gordon Rogers, allows for firearms suppressors and the use of suppressors for hunting as long as the firearms and suppressors comport with both federal and state laws.

S.507, by Sen. Gordon Rogers, provides for permitless carry for anyone over age 21.

Again, you can review the complete agenda on the Legislature’s website.

This link to the state website also contains instructions on how to submit written and oral testimony.  However, one of our partner Second Amendment groups, in conjunction with our state association, has made the task of signing up much easier.  We are working together to make sure we get as many people as possible to participate. 
Anti-gun legislators are using this process during COVID to infringe on your rights.  It is absolutely critical that you participate on Monday.  Please visit this link to make the process much easier: www.rifol.org.

And, as always, please contact your Senator by simply clicking the “take action” link.