The yellow shirts of Second Amendment advocates far outnumbered orange and red shirts donned by gun control supporters at the State House for a committee hearing Wednesday on the latest proposal to ban assault-style weapons in Rhode Island.
Nearly 2,000 people filled the halls and State House rotunda to oppose the proposed ban backed by Gov. Dan McKee and the rest of the state’s general officeholders.
“It’s not common sense,” Brenda Jacob, a lobbyist and secretary for the Rhode Island Revolver & Rifle Association, told the House Committee on Judiciary. “This is an all-weapons ban — let’s call this what it is.”
The bill sponsored by Jason Knight, a Barrington Democrat, would prohibit the sale and manufacturing of assault-style shotguns, handguns, and rifles beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Violators would face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 and forfeiture of the weapon.
Knight’s bill defines assault-style weapons based on their function and features, such as the ability to accept detachable magazines and stocks, pistol grips, bayonet mounts, and barrel shrouds.
“We as a General Assembly have an obligation to think about and do things to ensure the public trust, given the increase and uptick in mass murder in the United States,” Knight told the committee.
Knight’s bill was held for further study by the committee, as is standard procedure when legislation is first considered.
Will Worthy, owner of Big Bear Fishing and Hunting in Glocester and the Range RI in Exeter, told the committee that the proposed definition would mean roughly 60% of all firearms he sells would be deemed illegal.
“This could result in layoffs, reduced work hours or even the closure of our business,” Worthy said.
He argued that the features lawmakers aim to ban actually enhance firearm safety. Removable components, Worthy said, make guns easier to clean and securely store in a safe — something required under a law passed by the General Assembly last year.
Adding a pistol grip to a shotgun, he said, could help younger hunters properly operate their weapons.
“These are all control features,” Worthy said. “The bill’s problematic definition of semi-auto and misrepresentation of certain firearm features could lead to unintended consequences — you’re possibly going to create more accidents.”
But Knight said such arguments by gun right advocates are hyperbolic.
“All these weapons enable a fast and powerful bullet that makes much bigger holes than a handgun,” he said in an interview before Wednesday’s hearing.
During the hearing, Knight said the proposed ban may affect some other firearms, but not nearly as many as those cited by gun rights advocates.
“Your average pistol? Legal,” he said. “Thousands of hunting rifles and shotguns would remain legal — same with several semi-automatic rifles as well.”
Second Amendment advocates also took aim with a provision that would require them to register assault-style weapons purchased before the proposed ban with state or local police.
Knight said he would likely amend the bill to instead let owners of weapons purchased before the potential ban voluntarily apply for a certificate of possession. That drew a few groans from the crowd of yellow-shirt-clad advocates
But not from Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence Melissa Carden, who urged the committee to advance the proposal to the House floor.
“Everyone deserves to live free from gun violence,” Carden said. “The time for change is now and the vast majority of Rhode Islanders want to end this preventable bloodshed.”
Though Wednesday’s hearing was dominated by gun rights advocates, a recent poll conducted for the Rhode Island AFL-CIO found 64% of Rhode Islanders support the ban.
It also has clear support from a majority of House members, where 39 of the chamber’s 75 legislators back Knight’s bill. Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi has previously indicated support for a ban on assault-style weapons, but House spokesperson Larry Berman said the speaker still plans to review all of Wednesday’s testimony — which garnered over 550 letters online.
Shekarchi does not support the proposed ban being in McKee’s proposed budget.
Companion legislation was filed in the Senate by Lou DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat, where the bill has 23 additional sponsors
Not among them: Senate President Dominick Ruggerio.
Senate spokesperson Greg Paré said Ruggerio plans to review the legislation after it receives a hearing before the Senate Committee on Judiciary, which has not been scheduled as of Wednesday.
With such legislative support, Knight said he is optimistic 2025 is the year his proposal will eventually get a committee vote.
“More people are paying attention,” he said. “It feels like the politics is right.”
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
