Almost a dozen gun bills are scheduled for a hearing next week as gun grabbers in Providence resume their annual assault on the Second Amendment. While a couple of the bills are good (expanding reciprocity and creating an appeals process for permit denials), the majority of bills on the agenda should be vehemently opposed. On Wednesday, March 13, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the following bills of great concern to Second Amendment defenders:
H.7217 by Rep. Jason Knight (D) bans commonly owned semi-auto rifles. After the federal ban on these types of guns was allowed to expire in 2004, a Clinton DOJ study confirmed that the ban had virtually no impact on public safety. Rifles of any type are rarely used in crime. In the wake of the Bruen decision, the United State Supreme Court remanded semi-auto and magazine bans back to the lower courts for review. A clear sign that these types of bans are currently on shaky constitutional ground at best. H.7217, if passed, looks to be nothing more than additional fodder for litigation.
H.7268 by Rep. Jennifer Boylan (D) requires testing to purchase a gun and exercise one’s constitutional right. Imagine if you had to pass a test to vote or engage in free speech. If a person is not prohibited under federal law, they have a constitutional right to purchase a firearm.
H.7269 by Rep. Boylan creates a one-gun-a-month scheme which has failed in the few states where the gun ban gimmick has been adopted. There is no evidence that gun rationing increases public safety. Virginia repealed its one-handgun-a-month law in 2012, after statistics verified that the law, which was on the books for nearly 10 years, had no real impact other than to infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens.
H.7373 by Rep. Justine Caldwell (D) requires mandatory storage of firearms. Mandatory storage laws do nothing except tip the scales towards criminals in self-defense scenarios where seconds matter. This bill is going to do nothing except create more innocent victims. This is a clear violation of the right to self-defense in one’s home.
The Committee hearing will be held in the State House Lounge at 3 p.m. next Wednesday, March 13. NRA members are encouraged to attend and wear yellow in solidarity with all Ocean State gun owners. Please contact your committee members and the House Judiciary Clerk by using the Take Action button below and urge them to vote NO on all anti-gun bills on the agenda.
Please continue to check your inbox and www.nraila.org for updates concerning your Second Amendment rights.
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