H8075 (2026): $1 Million Firearm Liability Insurance Mandate

Update: Held for Further Study (April 2026)

On April 8, 2026, the House Judiciary Committee recommended that the bill be held for further study, and it did not advance. The bill did not pass. The House and Senate recessed on June 11, 2026, and neither chamber had met again as of October 15, 2026.^[99]

House Bill 8075, sponsored by Representatives Caldwell, Potter, Boylan, Knight, Carson, and others, would require every firearm owner in Rhode Island to maintain $1,000,000 in liability insurance^[1].

What the Bill Would Require

Every person who owns a firearm in Rhode Island would be required to carry a liability insurance policy of at least $1 million. The only exemptions are for active-duty law enforcement officers and active-duty military personnel. The bill provides that failure to maintain the insurance results in immediate revocation of the owner's registration, license and any other privilege to own the firearm, and it authorizes the Department of Business Regulation to adopt rules. It does not say whether a standard homeowner's policy would satisfy the requirement.

Practical Concerns

Several practical questions remain unanswered by the bill text:

• The bill specifies coverage for damages resulting from negligent acts involving the firearm, without specifying coverage for intentional criminal acts
• The bill ties enforcement to revocation of the owner's registration, license and privilege to own the firearm, without describing how insurance status would be checked
• The bill could effectively price lower-income residents out of firearm ownership

Legal Challenges

New Jersey's liability insurance requirement for public handgun carry has faced a challenge on Second Amendment grounds. Critics argue that imposing a financial prerequisite on the exercise of a constitutional right is equivalent to a poll tax.

Current Status

H8075 was introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee on February 27, 2026, scheduled for hearing on April 8, 2026, and held for further study that day. The bill had no further action before the House and Senate recessed on June 11, 2026, and neither chamber had met again as of October 15, 2026. No firearm liability insurance mandate exists in Rhode Island law^[2].