RICAGV
calls for an end to holding gun bills “for further study”
Linda Finn,
Executive Director, Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence
Following
a horrific week of violence in cities across the country including Dayton, El
Paso, and Chicago, Governor Raimondo spoke out about the lack of commitment to
gun violence prevention from Rhode Island House and Senate Leadership.
In
response, Speaker Mattiello and Senate President Ruggerio released a joint
statement claiming “Rhode Island's gun control laws are among the strongest in
the country.”
The
unfortunate reality is that for years leadership has blocked legislation that
would make the kind of massacres we saw in Texas and Ohio less likely in Rhode
Island.
Rhode
Island certainly gets some things right when it comes to gun violence
prevention, including universal background checks, and we are grateful to the
General Assembly for passing a strong domestic violence bill and a red flag
bill in previous sessions.
These
common sense laws are already saving lives in Rhode Island. But there is much
that remains to be done, and Rhode Islanders are running out of patience with
leadership in the General Assembly.
Rhode
Island still lags behind our immediate neighbors Massachusetts, Connecticut,
New York and New Jersey who all have all passed assault weapon bans, making our
state more vulnerable to mass shootings than others in our region.
And
Rhode Island remains an outlier even compared to states with generally
permissive gun laws like Texas in allowing the completely unregulated concealed
carry of firearms in K-12 schools.
This past year Rhode Island General Assembly failed to allow a single vote on any gun violence prevention legislation, and year after year has allowed an assault weapon ban, a high capacity magazine ban, and a bill restricting the concealed carry of firearms in schools to die in committee.
The
Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence has been fighting for passage of
these bills since 2013, and we are not about to stop now. We are grateful to
Governor Raimondo for being a strong advocate for these common sense bills, and
join her in calling on the General Assembly to do more to prevent gun violence
in Rhode Island now rather than waiting for the kind of tragic incident that
has devastated communities in other states to happen here.
It
is past time for state house leadership to make a real commitment to preventing
gun violence by allowing votes on the assault weapons ban, high capacity
magazine ban, and the Safe Schools act.
Readers
should contact their legislators in the General Assembly today and every day
until the Speaker of the House and Senate President allow an up-or-down floor
vote on these bills.
We
are not expecting too much.
It
only took legislators in New Zealand 26 days to enact an assault weapons ban
following the Christchurch massacre.
It’s
been six and a half years since the slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary, and our
legislature is still holding these bills for “further study.” The time for
study is well past. The General Assembly must re-convene and pass these bills
today.