2026 Criminal Penalty Bills: Felon Possession, Under-18 Prohibition, and Minor Provisions

The 2026 session includes several bills adjusting criminal penalties and prohibitions related to firearms^[1].

H8067 / S2056: Felon Firearm Prohibition

House Bill 8067 (Reps. Furtado, Boylan, Tanzi, and others) and Senate Bill 2056 (Sens. Euer, Valverde, Quezada, and others) would bar individuals with felony convictions or nolo contendere pleas from purchasing or possessing firearms and restrict sentence suspension for violations. Rhode Island already prohibits convicted felons from firearm possession under RIGL 11-47-5, but these bills would tighten the existing framework by closing procedural gaps.

H8068 / S3110: Under-18 Possession Prohibition

House Bill 8068 (Reps. Boylan, Tanzi, Furtado, and others) and Senate Bill 3110 (Sens. Bissaillon, Quezada, McKenney) would make firearm possession unlawful for persons under 18, with exceptions for supervised activities including shooting ranges and hunting.

Minor Provisions

• H7145 (Rep. Fellela and others): Renames the safe-storage statutory section heading to include "Dillon's Law"
• H7546 (Rep. Dawson): Expands the peace officer definition to include juvenile program workers and shift coordinators at DCYF
• S2144 (Sen. LaMountain): Gives courts discretion on batterers intervention program hours and whether defendants must personally pay costs
• H7593 / S2086: Tax exemptions for firearm safety equipment (H7593 in House Finance) and for firearms, ammunition, and safety devices (S2086 in Senate Finance)

Current Status

All bills are in their respective committees. The tax exemption bills are notably in Finance committees rather than Judiciary^[2].