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5/20/2024
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House Judiciary Committee meets on Thursday to vote on package of firearm safety bills
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 STATE HOUSE – On Thursday, May 23 at the rise of the House in Room 101, the House Judiciary Committee will take up a package of bills providing enhanced tools for keeping weapons out of the hands of children and those struggling with mental health issues, improving reporting when firearms are used in violent crimes, assisting law enforcement in weapons training and developing new strategies to reduce suicide deaths in Rhode Island.
“Every life is precious and it’s a tragedy when someone loses their life due to preventable incidents involving firearms. Access to a firearm in the home significantly increases the risk of suicide, death during domestic violence disputes, and the unintentional death of children, household members or others. Safe storage of firearms can help prevent these needless deaths and this bill, and others within this suite of legislation, will help keep Rhode Islanders safe from preventable heartbreak and misfortune,” said Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick).
The committee will consider the following bills:
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2024-H 7373A, sponsored by Rep. Justine A. Caldwell (D-Dist. 30, East Greenwich, West Greenwich), requires safe storage of firearms and provides civil and criminal penalties for violations. The bill also adds rifles and shotguns to the types of firearms requiring a trigger lock to be included with purchase and requires firearms dealers to post signs regarding safe storage. All five general officers support the legislation.
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2024-H 7216, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Boylan (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence), defines "crime gun" and requires law enforcement to submit crime guns, or two fired cartridge cases, that have been seized by law enforcement to the state crime laboratory or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for testing and tracing. The bill also requires two test-fired cartridge cases to be entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network.
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2024-H 7098, sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert E. Craven (D-Dist. 32, North Kingstown), exempts full-time members of the Capitol Police from the seven-day waiting period and other requirements for purchasing concealable firearms or rifles and shotguns. Currently, members of the State Police, all municipal police departments, the State Marshals Office and corrections officers are exempt from the seven-day waiting period.
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2024-H 7570, sponsored by Rep. Thomas E. Noret (D-Dist. 25, Coventry, West Warwick) and requested by the Department of Public Safety, allows law enforcement to utilize mufflers, silencers, or other devices for deadening or muffling the sound of a firearm while acting within the scope of their official duties under the supervision of the police chief or colonel of the State Police. The bill aims to protect the hearing of law enforcement officers while training with their service weapons, while also lessening the noise effects of firearm training for the surrounding community.
The House Health and Human Services Committee will also be considering the last bill of the legislative package on Thursday, May 23 at the rise of the House in Room 135. The legislation (2024-H 7732), sponsored by Rep. Joseph J. Solomon (D-Dist. 22, Warwick) and requested by the Department of Health, adds to the responsibilities of the Office of State Medical Examiners to provide a multidisciplinary team among state departments to review suicide deaths with a goal of reducing their prevalence by examining trends in demographic, geographic and community risk factors.
The meetings will be televised by Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channel 61, on i3Broadband channel 15 and on Verizon channel 34. It will be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/.
For more information, contact:
Larry Berman, Communications Director for the Office of the Speaker
State House Room 322
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2466
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