2025 Legislative Update

A Message to RICAGV Supporters

We are endlessly grateful for your effort and support, especially during the final weeks of the legislative session! And, we are so proud to have persisted – together – throughout the process to pass an assault weapons ban for Rhode Island. We never strayed from our vision for the strongest, life-saving legislation possible and have done everything in our power to reach it. 

On June 5, we celebrated when the RI House of Representatives historically voted to pass H5436A. Then, in the final hours of an unpredictable session, House members reconvened to pass S359A prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and purchase of certain semiautomatic firearms–an amended version that began moving quickly through the Senate days before. 

While the exact provisions of the amended bill are significantly narrower, its passage is the result of tireless advocacy for safer, healthier Rhode Island communities. As a coalition of volunteers and partner organizations, we have been fighting for 13 years for an assault weapons ban. Not until this year was any version ever voted out of a committee, let alone passed on the floor of either chamber. That bill will land on the governor’s desk to become law. We will likely soon gather in the Governor’s State Room for a bill signing ceremony – and it will be so important for us to have a large presence. 

Over time there have been many iterations of the bill with input from many voices – and often disagreement. We recognize that political compromise happens within the General Assembly. Regardless, our resolve for the strongest bill possible has never wavered. And along the way, we have also helped pass NINE other powerful laws that are making a difference to reduce gun violence in our state. 

Again, thank you for persevering, especially in the current federal climate. RICAGV will continue to press for evidence-based policy and hold our elected leaders accountable – as we have always done!