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6/20/2025
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General Assembly approves assault weapons ban
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 STATE HOUSE – The 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.”
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.”
Over the past several years, the General Assembly has passed several key pieces of gun safety legislation into law including bills to ban large-capacity gun magazines, require the safe storage of firearms, raise the legal age to purchase firearms or ammunition from 18 to 21, and prohibit the open carry of any loaded rifle or shotgun in public.
“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, Representative Knight and Senator 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,” said Monisha Henley, senior vice president of government affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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