![]() ![]() Montstream-Quas said she believes much of the opposition to the assault weapons ban stems from “miseducation and misunderstanding,” with the opposition assuming that the bill’s advocates want to ban all guns. She claimed the bill would lead to the banning of handguns in addition to assault-style weapons, which she said was “not acceptable.” Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz (R-23) said she’s never supported the legislation and doesn’t anticipate that she ever will. Per the bill’s language, the “assault-style” weapons that would be banned include semi-automatic shotguns, rifles and pistols, depending on their magazine sizes and “advanced” features, such as grenade launchers and telescopic stocks. “The definitions include every firearm out there, so it’s not an assault weapons ban, it’s an all-weapons ban,” Jacob said. He added the bill has undergone several iterations, with this year’s version including a “one-feature test” to determine what qualifies as an assault weapon.īrenda Jacob, secretary and lobbyist for the Rhode Island Revolver and Rifle Association, disagreed, stating that the bill itself is problematic and “deceitful as far as its terminology.” Still, the bill has failed to pass previously, according to Knight, who pointed to “politics,” rather than any specific language in the bill, as the reason for its past failures. “But it can be made better with the addition of the assault weapons ban.”Ī majority of the Senate has expressed support for banning assault weapons sales. “We have a good gun law regime,” he added. But there is more progress to be made, Knight said. Relative to other states, Rhode Island has fairly strict gun laws: the 13th-strongest in the country. Gun control legislation has been demonstrated as an effective means of minimizing gun deaths within states, according to Knight. Montstream-Quas said she feels that legislators who repeatedly vote against gun control legislation have “blood on their hands.” She said citizens should not be able to possess these kinds of weapons, which have “no real purpose … except to kill.” She added that former military members have told her that they’ve seen what assault weapons can do in combat, and “they should not be anywhere near the public.” Sydney Montstream-Quas, chair of the Rhode Island Coalition for Gun Violence Board of Directors, advocated for the weapons to be banned because of their capacity to harm.Ĭiting conversations with emergency room physicians and coroners, Montstream-Quas said that assault-style weapons cause a “destruction of a person’s body … unlike other weapons.” “We would be remiss as a legislative body if we didn’t do everything we possibly could to prevent and minimize the gun violence (in) the state, especially given how it’s just a growing part of American existence.” “In America, mass shootings are a more and more common occurrence (and) assault weapons are often the preferred tool of the shooters,” Knight said. Jason Knight (D-67), the bill’s sponsor in the House, said his motivation for passing the bill comes down to one simple reason: preventing gun violence, which has “increased in recent years,” according to the Pew Research Center. ![]()
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