Rhode Islanders buying or selling rapid-fire, military-style rifles could land in prison for 10 years or face a $10,000 fine, under a new law signed Thursday by Gov. Dan McKee.
“This is progress today and it will make Rhode Island safe for our families and our neighbors,” McKee said at a statehouse signing ceremony crowded with gun control advocates.
Senate President Val Lawson seconded the governor’s view.
“We’re taking a powerful step to taking weapons of war off the street and making Rhode Island safer,” she said.
Advocates of stricter gun laws have been fighting hard to bring Rhode Island’s gun laws in line with neighboring states.
Legislators in recent years have enacted other gun restrictions – including a ban on high-capacity magazines and a requirement to store firearms securely – but an assault weapons ban has proven elusive, even though activists have been fighting for it for more than a decade.
“Moments like this bring new life to our movement,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of the political group Moms Demand Action.
“This is a life-saving measure, y’all,” she said. “This is how we prevent future mass shootings.”
But the revised measure approved by the state House and Senate falls short of actually banning these lethal weapons. Proponents of the bill made major concessions to secure its passage.
For example, anyone who currently owns a semi-automatic rifle can keep them. And anyone who doesn’t currently own one has a full year to buy one before the ban on sales takes effect.
Melissa Carden, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence, vowed to fight on despite Republican opposition.
Carden said, “Our goal would eventually be to develop a better ban that would include possession in addition to sales.”
Republican leaders at the state capitol vowed to keep that from happening.
“The Constitution doesn’t protect itself,” state Senate minority leader Jessica de la Cruz said in a statement.
House minority leader Michael Chippendale issued a statement calling the new law “nothing more than a political trophy.”
For his part, McKee defended the watered-down bill.
“It’s significant progress. It’s not small,” McKee said. “There are arguments on both sides, whether we landed in the right spot or not, but I see this as progress.”
