2025 Assault Weapons Ban Signed Into Law

On June 26, 2025, Governor Daniel McKee signed S 0359A into law, making Rhode Island one of the latest states to enact an assault weapons ban^[1]. The bill passed the Senate with bipartisan opposition and cleared the House along largely party-line votes. The law took effect on July 1, 2026, after a one-year implementation window for owners and dealers.

What the Law Does

The assault weapons ban, codified as P.L. 2025, ch. 281, prohibits the manufacture, sale, transfer, and future acquisition of firearms classified as "assault weapons" under the statute. The law defines assault weapons using feature-based tests rather than a blanket ban on semiautomatic firearms. A semiautomatic rifle that accepts a detachable magazine and possesses one or more enumerated features (such as a pistol grip, folding stock, or threaded barrel) is classified as an assault weapon. The enacted law uses no named-firearms list. Shotguns have their own criteria (a fixed magazine over six rounds, or a revolving cylinder), and pistols are covered only when they have a fixed magazine over 10 rounds. There is no feature test for pistols, so a semiautomatic pistol that accepts a detachable magazine is not an assault weapon regardless of a threaded barrel or other features.

Grandfathering

Assault weapons lawfully possessed before July 1, 2026 are grandfathered. Existing owners may continue to possess, store, and use these firearms. However, these firearms may not be sold, transferred, or given to another person within Rhode Island after the effective date. Under the enacted law they may be sold or transferred only to a federally licensed dealer or to an individual outside the state who may lawfully possess them. The enacted law contains no registration requirement and no provision requiring surrender or transfer upon the owner's death. Earlier drafts of the bill included registration and surrender provisions, but those were removed before passage.

Legislative History

Rhode Island had attempted to pass an assault weapons ban in multiple prior legislative sessions. Previous bills stalled in committee or failed to gain sufficient votes. The 2025 bill succeeded in part because of the 2022 firearms package that established the large capacity magazine ban, which set a legislative precedent. Supporters argued the ban was a natural complement to the existing magazine restriction. Opponents argued that the ban targeted commonly owned firearms protected by the Second Amendment under Bruen^[2].

Legal Challenges

As of late July 2026, no lawsuit has been filed challenging the Rhode Island ban, and no injunction bars its enforcement. Any future challenge would proceed through the First Circuit, which upheld the large capacity magazine ban in Ocean State Tactical.

The ban's constitutional future is likely to be shaped at the Supreme Court. On June 30, 2026, the Court granted certiorari in Grant v. Higgins, No. 25-566, a challenge to Connecticut's assault weapons ban from the Second Circuit, consolidated with Viramontes v. Cook County, No. 25-238, from the Seventh Circuit. The question presented is whether AR-15-platform and similar semiautomatic rifles in common use are protected by the Second Amendment. The consolidated cases are allotted one hour of argument in October Term 2026, with no argument date set yet^[3].