Ahead of the State of the State address, RI lawmakers are debating next steps on an assault weapons ban

Gun bills have come up frequently in the Senate Judiciary Committee in previous sessions. So attention was paid who Ruggerio senators appointed to the Judiciary Committee last week when the 2025 session has begun AND Senator Dawn Euer she was later removed as chairwoman supporting Senator Ryan W. Pearson in the fight for leadership with Ruggerio.

On Monday, Senator Louis P. DiPalma outlined an alternative route for introducing legislation to the Senate this year – through the Senate Finance Committee, which he chairs.

DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat who plans to again support a bill to ban assault weapons, noted that it is up to Ruggerio to decide which committee will consider which legislation. However, if an assault weapons ban is part of a budget article, he said one option would be to consider it in the Finance Committee.

“Wherever the Senate leadership assigns the bill, they will support it to the Nth degree to get it over the goal line,” he said.

DiPalma thanked Ruggerio for being open to discussing the legislation this session. “The Senate President will go down in history for allowing this robust debate on this measure that will make Rhode Island safer,” he said.

He said he and Rep. Jason Knight, a Barrington Democrat, will introduce companion bills to ban assault weapons, and expressed confidence the legislation would pass if it reaches the Senate. He said 24 of 38 senators signed on to the bill when he proposed it last year, and he plans to ask each of the 38 senators to become co-sponsors again this year.

DiPalma also thanked McKee for including the proposal in his budget and said, “I think we have some options to get the measure to the goal line.”

However, Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz, a North Smithfield Republican, said the proposed ban had no place in the budget or the Senate Finance Committee. “It doesn’t matter for the budget,” she said. “I question whether the governor would benefit from a civics lesson on how legislation is passed in this state.”

De la Cruz said she suspects McKee is trying to “signal to the Democratic base” ahead of a possible 2026 Democratic primary for governor. “The governor can take a stand. We all have our position,” she said. “But using the budget for activism – that has no place in state government.”

Some Democrats suspect that four Senate Republicans supported Ruggiero in the Senate leadership vote in exchange for not bringing the bill to a vote. De la Cruz said: “I will have to leave it to speculation. I never reveal private collections unless agreed.

De la Cruz said she expected the proposal to be removed from the budget and considered as a separate bill. She questioned the idea of hearing the legislation in the Finance Committee, but said “blackmail” had been used before to bring controversial bills to the table.

She said he could be a “wild card” in this regard Senator David P. TikoianThe Democrat from Smithfield whom Ruggerio just named the Senate majority whip. Thanks to his position as the No. 3 leader in the Senate, Tikoian can vote on any committee ex officio.

De la Cruz said she viewed Tikoian, a former state police major and North Providence police chief, as a “supporter of 2A” and a supporter of Second Amendment rights.

On Monday, Tikoian said he was considering each gun bill individually. He noted that last year voted for the bill supporters called the strongest and most versatile in the country Act on storing weapons. But he said he did not sign DiPalma’s bill banning assault weapons last year.

“I’m not involved at this point,” he said. “Perhaps there will be another, more accessible legal act. We’ll see what happens.”

Melissa Carden, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence, said the group is grateful McKee included the assault weapons proposal in its budget. “He is a supporter of gun safety,” she said, “and we look forward to finally passing this bill.”

Carden said the coalition has been pushing for an assault weapons ban since its formation in 2013. She said it was clear that there would be no progress at national level at this stage, which made it all the more important for countries to take action. She said polls showed a majority of Rhode Islanders want state lawmakers to ban assault weapons like the AR-15.

Carden said getting a gun bill out of committee is often difficult. “So we know there will continue to be challenges with this bill,” she said. “But all indications are that this is the year it could actually happen.”

House Minority Leader Michael W. Chippendale, a Republican replacement, sharply criticized McKee for planning to include gun control proposals in his budget.

“Traditionally, the issue of lack of funds was not included in the budget. It’s just inappropriate,” he said. “Even an untrained political observer can see that this is nothing more than a cheap political stunt by the governor to increase his support among the radically progressive fringe of his party.”

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @FitzProv.