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6/17/2025
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Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on revised firearms bill
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 STATE HOUSE, Providence – For the first time in Rhode Island history, the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote on high-profile legislation to restrict the sale of certain military-style firearms. The committee is scheduled to vote on a revised version of the legislation tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. in Room 313 of the State House.
The Judiciary Committee heard lengthy testimony regarding the original legislation, known as the Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban of 2025, on May 14. The bill (2025-S 359) is sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Louis DiPalma (D – Dist. 12, Middletown, Little Compton, Newport, Tiverton).
At the direction of President of the Senate Valarie J. Lawson, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Matthew LaMountain worked with members of the committee to address concerns raised during the hearing.
Said Senator DiPalma, “This important legislation is a long overdue, common-sense step to address the serious public health issue of gun violence in Rhode Island. Research clearly shows a ban on the sale of these weapons in our state will save lives and make our communities safer.”
Chairman LaMountain noted that the revised bill was informed by the varied perspectives of a range of stakeholders. “While some committee members’ sincerely held beliefs make them unlikely to support any version of this legislation, I believe that the majority of the committee members brought their concerns to the table in a good faith effort to improve the legislation before us. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this common-sense gun safety legislation.”
The proposed amendment would prohibit 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 prior to the effective date could 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 amended bill includes more precise definitions of the weapons that would be prohibited. The amendment also eliminates a requirement that owners of grandfathered weapons register them with local or state police, and does not include the 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.
The committee is also scheduled to consider an identical amendment to House version of the legislation, 2025-H 5436A , sponsored by Rep. Jason Knight, (D-Dist. 67, Barrington, Warren).
Monisha Henley, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety, said, “Assault weapons bans save lives – period. This lifesaving bill has, in its twelfth year of introduction, moved further through the legislative process than ever before, and that is a testament to the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Knight and Sen. DiPalma, who have relentlessly and unwaveringly pushed and championed this policy. Compromise is a part of public policy progress, and the amended version of this bill is still a massive step forward in limiting access to weapons of war and a Rhode Island free from gun violence.”
“The pain of having my daughter taken by someone armed with an assault weapon is something I wish no one else experiences, and our lawmakers have the chance to help make that a reality,” said Diana Garrington, a volunteer with the Rhode Island chapter of Moms Demand Action and a fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network whose daughter Essence was shot and killed by a person with an assault weapon in Providence. “Any restriction on these weapons of war is a step in the right direction for the state of Rhode Island, and if this amended version of the bill has the best path forward, it one hundred percent has our support.”
Said President Lawson, “I am grateful to Chairman LaMountain and all the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for their hard work on this very important issue. I look forward to casting my vote in favor of this legislation with the hope of making Rhode Island a safer place for all.”
For more information, contact:
Greg Pare, Director of Communications for the Senate
State House Room 112
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 276-5558
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