An Historic Achievement
Rep. Justine Caldwell, along with new House Whip Katherine Kazarian, have garnered dozens of co-signers on four key bills, creating majority support for reforms that have been popular with public safety officials and Rhode Island residents for years:
- Limiting magazine capacity to 10 rounds
HB5554 – Rep. Justine Caldwell, sponsor; co-sponsored by thirty-nine representatives - Regulating assault weapons
HB5556 – Rep. Justine Caldwell, sponsor; co-sponsored by forty representatives - Prohibiting concealed carry in K-12 schools
HB5555 – Rep. Katherine Kazarian, sponsor; co-sponsored by thirty-eight representatives - Requiring safe firearm storage
HB5553 – Rep. Justine Caldwell, sponsor; co-sponsored by forty-two representatives
All four bills were introduced at the request of:
- Attorney General Peter Neronha
- General Treasurer Seth Magaziner
- Lieutenant Governor Dan McKee
- Secretary of State Nellie Gorbeau
New House Leadership
Speaker Joe Shekarchi, given a “D” rating by the NRA in the 2020 election cycle, spoke of being open to additional reforms back in November:
“I want to look at what other states have done and [are] doing, I want to hear from the Attorney General … I take the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association and State Police input very seriously on those issues.”
House Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski has been co-sponsoring these bills for years, earning an “F” rating from the NRA. He is a co-signer on all four bills noted above.
House Whip Katherine Kazarian is the lead sponsor on the school safety bill, and a co-sponsor on the other three bills; she is a long-time supporter of these reforms.
Judiciary Leadership
All four bills have been co-signed by leadership on the House Judiciary Committee:
- Judiciary Chair Bob Craven
- Judiciary Vice Chair Carol Hagan McEntee
- Judiciary 2nd Vice Chair Jason Knight