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 takes effect on July 1, 2026, giving owners and dealers a one-year implementation window.

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].

Expected Legal Challenges

Legal challenges are widely anticipated. Second Amendment advocacy organizations have indicated they will file suit before the July 2026 effective date. Any challenge will likely proceed through the First Circuit, which upheld the large capacity magazine ban in Ocean State Tactical. The outcome may depend on whether the Supreme Court takes up a similar case from another circuit in the interim.