All eyes will be on the Senate Committee on Judiciary on Wednesday, with the panel set to decide on whether to advance a proposed ban on assault-style weapons to the floor for a full vote by the chamber.
The agenda posted for the 10-member panel Monday afternoon lists the companion legislation by Rep. Jason Knight, a Barrington Democrat and Sen. Lou DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat, among 21 bills up for consideration.
“We’re really happy to see the bill posted,” Melissa Carden, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence, said in an interview. “The House bill is a good bill.”
Knight’s amended bill passed the House 43-28 after nearly five hours of debate June 5.
The legislation, which was already revised before advancing out of the House’s Committee on Judiciary, would prohibit the sale and manufacturing of assault-style shotguns, handguns, and rifles beginning July 1, 2026.
Assault-style firearms purchased before July 2026 would also be exempt from the legislation, along with weapons passed down through family. Violators of the proposed ban would face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 and would have to forfeit their assault-style weapons. Gun owners could voluntarily register their weapons with police to receive a certificate of possession under an amendment that has drawn the ire of opponents who say it’s unconstitutional.
DiPalma’s bill is still listed in its original form on the Judiciary Committee’s calendar. The panel is still working on amending the legislation to match Knight’s version, Senate spokesperson Greg Paré confirmed via text message Monday afternoon.
‘The feeling is it’s deadlocked’
RI Gun Rights sees the committee’s Wednesday meeting as their last shot to advocate to sway lawmakers from passing the bill, according to a post on X.
“If it makes it out for that committee, it will pass the Senate and be signed into law,” the group posted on X Monday afternoon.
Frank Saccoccio, president of the Rhode Island Second Amendment Coalition, said outreach will be crucial to ensuring enough gun rights supporters in yellow shirts turn out to sway committee members.
“We just got to get people up there and see if we can hold it back,” he said in an interview. “The feeling is it’s deadlocked.”
But the likelihood the committee advances both bills remains unclear.
Three Democrats who serve on the committee — Sen. Andrew Dimitri, a freshman Democrat from Johnston, newly elected Cranston Sen. Todd Patalano, and Sen. Leonidas Raptakis of Coventry — each voiced opposition to the proposal during the initial hearing on DiPalma’s bill on May 14.
Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone, a Providence Democrat and federal firearms dealer, has also said he does not support banning assault-style weapons as drafted in Knight’s proposal.
“We know it’s a difficult committee, but there are still ways to get this to the floor for a vote,” Carden said.
Senate President Valarie Lawson, who is a co-sponsor of DiPalma’s bill, could advance Knight’s to the floor for immediate consideration, Carden said. A similar move was done by the late Senate President Dominick Ruggeiro in 2022 to pass the state’s ban on firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
During the floor session June 12, Sen. Pamela Lauria, a Barrington Democrat, sought to move the proposal to the Senate Committee on Finance. The panel is considered to be more favorable to advancing the bill.
But Lauria’s motion was ruled out of order by Senate President Valarie Lawson, herself a co-sponsor of DiPalma’s bill. Carden called Lawson’s decision “disappointing,” but still remains optimistic that a proposed ban will head to the floor, where it has the support of 24 of the chamber’s 37 members.
“We’re keeping the pressure on and going to keep advocating,” Carden said. “We know we have majority support.”
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
