The opening of the 2021 legislative session looks much different this year with COVID forcing lawmakers to run session differently, but the more things change, the more they stay the same. In Providence, anti-gun politicians have begun stacking the hopper with bills designed to strip Rhode Islanders of their constitutional rights.
We have seen many of these bills in previous years, but they are back in even stronger form. Late last week, the following bills were introduced: H.5554 by Rep. Justine Caldwell would ban magazines holding more than 10 rounds. H.5556, also by Rep. Justine Caldwell, would ban commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms. H.5555 by Rep. Katherine Kazarian would ban firearms on K-12 property except for law enforcement. This attack on concealed carry is not new despite this already being allowed under current law with no demonstrated problems over decades. This bill’s Senate counterpart is S.73 by Senate President Dominick Ruggerio.
After the November elections, there are many new members and changes in leadership. This is shaping up to be a challenging session for many reasons. The bills have been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, however, no hearings have been scheduled yet. We will continue to update members as schedules become available and additional bills are introduced.
It is critical that every Rhode Island NRA member needs to be actively involved this session. This is simply too important to sit on the sidelines, and your urgent assistance is requested today. Please contact your Representative and respectfully voice your opposition to these bills.