On June 26, 2025, Governor of Rhode Island (D) Dan McKee signed into law a ban on the manufacture, purchase, sale or transfer of certain firearms. The firearms affected were semi-automatic shotguns with fixed magazine capacity exceeding six rounds, shotguns with revolving cylinders, and semi-automatic rifles with fixed magazine capacity exceeding ten rounds.
In addition, the ban covers semi-automatic rifles which can accept a detachable magazine and which have any one or more of the following characteristics:
- folding or telescoping stock
- bayonet mount
- grenade launcher
- shroud which protects the non-trigger hand, except an extension of the stock on the bottom of the barrel
- pistol grip or thumbhole stock
- flash suppressor or threaded barrel which could accept the same
The ban also covers semi-automatic pistols with a fixed magazine capacity exceeding 10 rounds and any semi-automatic firearm that can accept a belt ammunition feeding device.
The ban does not include .22 rimfire rifles with attached tubular magazines. The ban does not appear to include pistols with detachable magazines or semi-automatic shotguns with detachable magazines.
On February 27, 2026, Democrats in the Senate introduced a bill to add possession to the prohibitions already passed in 2025. This changes the ban on obtaining the affected firearms into a ban on possessing them.
Senate sponsors to add “Possession” are: Alana M. DiMario, district 36;Dawn Euer, district 13; Meghan E. Kallman, district 15; Pamela J. Lauria, district 32; Tiara T. Mack, district 6; Mark P. McKenney, district 30; Linda L. Ujifusa, district 11; Bridget Valverde, district 35; and Samuel D. Zurier, district 3.
The Rhode Island Senate contains 38 senators. 17 are women, 21 are men. Four are Republicans, 34 are Democrats. All of the sponsors of the bill to ban possession are Democrats, seven of the nine sponsors are women.
Rhode Island is a deep blue state. As mentioned, on 4 of the 38 Senators are Republican. Only 10 of 75 representatives are Republican. The Governor, Daniel McKee, is a Democrat. The legislature already passed the bill banning the manufacture, purchase, sale, or transfer of the listed firearms.
As Rhode Island lawmakers push what the NRA calls one of the most aggressive gun-control proposals yet, John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, issued a statement condemning the measure.
“This radical Rhode Island gun grab is a microcosm of what we are seeing across the country. Year after year, progressive politicians continue to implement cookie-cutter gun control laws that erode the rights of law-abiding citizens. Now, just one year after banning the sale of so-called ‘assault weapons’ in Rhode Island, anti-gun advocates want to outright ban the possession of the most commonly owned firearms in the United States. This extreme and unconstitutional proposal would not advance public safety in the state. Instead, it would simply disarm and endanger lawful citizens who want to protect their families from violent criminals in the Ocean State.”
There are several court cases involving outright bans on commonly owned firearms. As many of the banned firearms are in common use in the United States, the Supreme Court is likely to strike down these bans at some point in the future. The Supreme Court has refused to do so at present. It refused to hear the case Snope v. Brown.
It is unclear whether the new bill will be passed, as it makes the original law more likely to be found unconstitutional. With supermajorities of Democrats in the House and Senate, passage is plausible. The longer the Supreme Court takes to hear an “assault weapons” ban, the more states will thumb their noses at the Supreme Court precedent in the Bruen decision.
In 2022, a federal district court found the banning of stun guns in Rhode Island to be unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. The judge in the case was William E. Smith. Judge Smith assumed senior status in 2024. He might or might not be assigned to hear a challenge to the current weapons ban.
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About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Democrats have always been the party of Slavery, they have just expanded, who all they willing to Enslave.
Their desire to dominate their fellow man is so strong.
They will even sell their own children into bondage.
If I remember correctly, it was a RI democrat who wanted to outlaw air guns not to many years ago. Demons never give up, they just reach for bigger prizes.
I live in this bastion of totalitarianism, run by politicians bribed by Soros and Bloomberg with re-election campaign dollars to overthrow the Constitution. They do not care that the laws they pass are unconstitutional – or even that they might be overruled by SCOTUS. They rely on the fact that whatever the ultimate outcome, for YEARS, while citizen suits drag through the courts, their oppression will be the law of the land, will force surrender of the firearms they are hypnotized by the national “Democrat” party to attack, and that citizens will be deprived of private property by executive FIAT –… Read more »
So the majority of representatives in Rhode Island are women. It figures. A lot of these women politicians are man hating, lesbian women liberal, who want to control men and the world. This is the problem when women get into office. They use emotion, feelings, their imagination, and not facts or common sense on determining laws. There was a reason why the founding fathers wouldn’t allow women to vote Article say at least 50% of women have mental illness. Even women will tell you that women are crazy! Want to know just how crazy women are? Just ask any of… Read more »
What wimps like this classify as “assault weapons” just happens to be about 92% of all weapons in active service in this country! For example, the lamebrains on the Los Angeles city council determine everything but the standard 38 revolver and the old single shot “duck guns” as potential assault weapons. All weapons that are clip-fed. About 92% of the weapons in service in this country!
There is always someone who screws up a good thing.
Governor of Rhode Island (D) The key note here is democrat they will stop at nothing as we are all watching with the dangerous comments on the Iran war by the whole democratic party. They want to disarm Americans “period” while they free criminals using appointed democrats that have no loyalty to the rule of law. Judges so far out of the box a middle school student can understand that the legal system was broken by the democrats. The call for open borders leaving the homeland defunded at a time of war is clearly the message. We now have political… Read more »
I am sure these RI Democrats will include carve outs for themselves , their staff, all members of RI Judiciary and local armies employed by local ultra rich folks.
Ban Rhode Island Democrats!
This ban is the New York State safe act just re-written everything about it is unconstitutional. I’m from New York. These lies and bans do absolutely nothing to curb crime any gun law that we really do need it is already on the books. people who are free thinkers. know how important our constitution is and must preserve it