Ahead of State of State address, R.I. lawmakers debate path forward for assault weapons ban

Second Amendment

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Gun bills have often lived or died in the Senate Judiciary Committee in past sessions. So attention turned to which senators Ruggerio appointed to the Judiciary Committee last week, when the 2025 session began and Senator Dawn Euer was removed as chairwoman after backing Senator Ryan W. Pearson in a leadership battle with Ruggerio.

On Monday, Senator Louis P. DiPalma outlined an alternative route for the legislation to reach the Senate floor this year — through the Senate Finance Committee that he chairs.

DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat who plans to again sponsor a bill to ban assault-style weapons, noted that it’s up to Ruggerio to decide which committee will consider any given piece of legislation. But if the assault weapons ban is part of a budget article, he said one option would be to consider it in the Finance Committee.

“Wherever Senate leadership assigns the bill, I 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, which will make Rhode Island safer,” he said.

He said he and Representative Jason Knight, a Barrington Democrat, will introduce companion bills to ban assault-style weapons, and he said he believes the legislation will pass if it comes to the Senate floor. He said 24 of the 38 senators signed onto the bill when he proposed it last year, and he plans to ask each of the 38 senators to be cosponsors again this year.

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

But Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz, a North Smithfield Republican, said the proposed ban has no place in the budget or in the Senate Finance Committee. “It’s not germane to a budget,” she said. “I question whether the governor might need 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” in advance of a possible 2026 Democratic primary for governor. “The governor can have a position. We all have a position,” she said. “But using a budget for activism — there’s no place for that in state government.”

Some Democrats suspect the Senate’s four Republicans backed Ruggiero in the Senate leadership vote in exchange for not bringing the bill to a floor vote. De la Cruz said, “I’ll have to leave it up to speculation. I never divulge private conservations unless it’s agreed upon.”

De la Cruz said she expects the proposal will get stripped out of the budget and considered as a separate bill. She questioned the idea of hearing the legislation in the Finance Committee, but said “shenanigans” have been used before to get controversial bills to the floor.

She said the “wild card” in this matter might be Senator David P. Tikoian, the Smithfield Democrat that Ruggerio just named as Senate majority whip. With the Senate’s No. 3 leadership position, Tikoian has the ability to vote on any committee in an “ex officio” role.

De la Cruz said she views Tikoian, a former State Police major and North Providence police chief, as being “pro-2A,” a supporter of Second Amendment rights.

On Monday, Tikoian said he considers each gun bill individually. He noted that last year he voted for legislation advocates called the nation’s strongest and most comprehensive gun storage law. But he said he did not sign onto DiPalma’s bill to ban on assault-style weapons last year.

“At this point, I’m noncommittal,” he said. “Maybe another piece of legislation may come out that’s more palatable. We will see what happens.”

Melissa Carden, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence, said the group is grateful McKee is including the assault weapons proposal in his budget. “He is a gun safety champion,” she said, “and we are looking forward to finally getting this bill passed.”

The coalition has been pushing for a ban on assault-style weapons since it was founded in 2013, Carden said. She said it’s clear no progress will be made on the national level at this point, so it’s all the more important for states to take action. She said polls have shown the majority of Rhode Islanders want state lawmakers to ban assault weapons such as the AR-15.

Carden said it’s often challenging to get a gun bill out of committee. “So we know that there will still be challenges with this bill,” she said. “But all indications are pointing in the direction that this is the year that it could really happen.”

House Minority Leader Michael W. Chippendale, a Foster Republican, blasted McKee for planning to include the gun proposal in his budget.

“Traditionally, you wouldn’t see a non-appropriation issue inserted into a budget. It just does not belong there,” he said. “Even an unseasoned observer of politics can see that this is nothing but a cheap political ploy for the governor to bolster his support with the radical progressive fringe of his party.”


Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.



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