H8073 and S2710 - Rhode Island determined to become the commiest of all the states in the Union

May 04, 2026, 10:05 AM

12131

quote:
1 SECTION 1. Section 11-47.2-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-47.2 entitled "Unlawful

2 Sale of Prohibited Firearms [Effective July 1, 2026.]" is hereby amended to read as follows:

3 11-47.2-2. ~~Restrictions on manufacture, sale, and purchase of prohibited firearms.~~

4 Restrictions on manufacture, sale, possession, and purchase of prohibited firearms. [Effective

5 July 1, 2026.]

6 (a) No person shall manufacture, sell, offer to sell, transfer, possess, or purchase a

7 prohibited firearm, except as otherwise authorized under this section. Any person convicted of

8 violating this subsection shall be punished by imprisonment of not more than ten (10) years, or by

9 a fine up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000), and the prohibited firearm shall be subject to forfeiture.

10 (b) The following limited exceptions to subsection (a) of this section shall apply:

11 (1) A person who lawfully possesses a prohibited firearm prior to July 1, 2026, may sell,

12 offer to sell, or transfer their prohibited firearm to a federally licensed firearm dealer, or to an

13 individual outside the state who may lawfully possess such weapon by December 31, 2026.

Why is this significant? They will become the first state in the nation to outright ban the possession of "assault weapons" by non-FFLs/non-LEOs with absolutely no grandfather clause. If you already owned them prior to the law going into effect, they give you until December 31, 2026 to dispose of them by selling to an FFL dealer, or to someone outside the state.

The question is, how are they going to enforce this shit. And, will it pass constitutional muster?

May 04, 2026, 10:19 AM

rainmaker5505

I don't see how it can pass constitutional muster. It has already been determined that AR15 type rifles, etc. meet the "commonly owned" standard. The issue will be that the lawsuits will take longer than it will take for the law to go into effect. They will be forced to remove the part where previously owned guns must be sold, but the damage will already have been done. This is the trend among the leftists, throw as much shit at the wall as you can, at a rapid pace, and some of it always sticks.

May 04, 2026, 10:31 AM

egregore

To the RI legislature:

quote:
And, will it pass constitutional muster?

No, but they won't let that stop them. But unless and until this is signed by the governor - or, if the RI constitution permits, allowed to become law without a signature - this is not a done deal.

May 04, 2026, 11:37 AM

sigfreund

As I’ve said before, the one advantage to such draconian antirights laws is that they increase the probability that they will be overturned by the court(s). But regardless of that possibility the advantage to the politicians is that they can then say, “Well, we tried, but ….” That gives them the benefit of appeasing the antis without running any risk that an aroused gun owning community would finally wake up, say, “Are you serious‽ Enough is enough,” and finally do something to protect their rights. Keep your cake and eat it too.

But who knows? There is no guarantee that any law, no matter how bad, won’t be passed anywhere, and no guarantee that any law, no matter how bad, would ultimately be overturned.

May 04, 2026, 11:41 AM

architect

The key is, as is here in VA, what legally constitutes an "assault" or "prohibited" firearm. Our wonderful legislature has expanded the definition to include almost all modern handguns and rifles, not just the "usual suspects" (ARs, AKs, etc.)

Their fellow travelers in Fairfax County have managed to close the May "Nation's Gunshow," which was nearly the last chance to get what you need before the new law goes into effect on 7/1. I'm betting that the same will happen to the scheduled June show as well.

RI isn't the only State that is hell-bent on enslaving its populace.

May 04, 2026, 12:06 PM

ArtieS

This is not the Rhode Island I grew up in.

May 04, 2026, 10:29 PM

captain127

Just when I thought you couldn’t get worse than my former home state of NY. When they passed the 2012 “safe act” you had a limited time to register your AW or sell out of state, or convert to a non AW. Trouble was, no one in authority would stand behind what a legal conversion was! A LOT went into dark closets, and I am sure many people remained totally ignorant of the new laws/ rules. In about 20 years thousands of unregistered AW’s will come to light in NY undoubtedly