On Friday March 20, Gov. Gina Raimondo issued Executive Order 20-07 which suspends the 7-day statutory background check requirement and now allows up to 30 days to complete checks. There is zero justification for extending the firearm waiting period to 30 days. Rhode Island’s current 7-day waiting period is a manufactured, arbitrary waiting period and is not a reflection on how long it actually takes to complete a NICS check. Since the advent of NICS, most approvals can be done nationwide while the dealer is on the phone or logged onto the computer. The notion that an increase in applications is causing such severe delays to require a 30-day waiting period is pure fantasy. Further, federal NICS checks are only valid for 30 days, meaning this new executive action could create an endless loop, thereby requiring all applications to be resubmitted after a month. This executive action is a clear infringement on the constitutional rights of Rhode Islanders.
Gov. Gina Raimondo has never disguised her frustration over not being able to advance gun control through the Legislature. Now, through an astounding act of executive fiat, she’s doing what she always wanted to do. It’s obvious that the Governor views the current health crisis as the prime opportunity to prey upon people’s uncertainty and fears to undermine our firearms freedom.
Please contact Gov. Gina Raimondo at 401-222-2080 and respectfully ask that she rescind this executive action immediately.
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