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6-26-2017: ALERT!!! S0405 (PROTECT RHODE ISLAND FAMILIES ACT) MUST BE STOPPED!! The House bill passed on the House floor and it is critical that we stop it before a Senate floor vote!

Please call and email your Senator and ask them to oppose S0405. If the bill gets another hearing, there will be NO input from the public so it is critical that we stop the bill as early as possible. Additionally, if this bill should pass, the next bills to pass will be the Magazine Restriction and the No Guns In Schools bills so we need to stop S0405 NOW!
6-27-2017: H5510A has now been referred to the Senate and will be the bill that could be heard. H5510 and S0405 are companion bills, but there are some radical changes to H5510A that actually makes the bill worse and more of a reason it needs to be stopped.

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Subject*	Please OPPOSE S0405/H5510A!
Comments* (feel free to personalize the letter)	Members of the Rhode Island Senate, We have an ill-conceived bill that has passed the House on specious logic, that is now coming to the Senate. Please do NOT support S0405, which will infringe the right of a woman to self-defense, even in only alleged domestic violence situations. The bill's flaws include: Risk to women: This bill does NOT address violent domestic abusers - current law already addresses that. This bill removes the ability for a defendant to defend him- or herself against an assailant over the duration of a protective order, even when the order is issued based only on an accusation. A husband, for example, could disarm a wife by securing a protective order based on testimony, who would then be defenseless against him or against a third party assailant! Over-broad scope and ineffective scope: This bill would also eliminate the court's discretion and require the confiscation of firearms when issuing a protective order, even if no firearm or force were involved, while ignoring all other tools that could be used by an assailant. It accomplishes, in effect, nothing. Mis-application: This bill also need additional language to prevent it from being overly harsh or misapplied. For example, under this bill, a person can be ordered to turn in his or her firearms for nonviolent offenses such as cyber stalking or harassment. Disarming a person over angry discourse? This does NOT make sense, and puts women at risk! Cost to the state: In addition, this bill requires firearms to be surrendered to either law enforcement or an FFL dealer - which may set its own storage and return procedures. This can lead to firearm damage, which can be expensive and represent a liability to the state, and uncontrolled storage fees, since an FFL's charges are in no way restricted - again, at state expense. It also adds a budgetary expense for storage and management when firearms are turned in to law enforcement; where does that state funding come from? Excessive bureaucratic infringement on rights: The terms of the bill can require that a person whose firearms are to be restored to him/her file a petition with the court, incurring additional delays while the petition is heard, in order that a required written notice be issued by the court to release the surrendered firearms, further infringing the affected person's constitutionally-guaranteed rights. No other Constitutional right (the right to keep and bear arms) is lost without even a precursor conviction! Questionable constitutionality: The RI Constitution is very straightforward and clear on this issue: "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." This bill appears to codify a violation of the RI Constitution, the constraints in which are taken verbatim from the independent clause of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. I encourage you to carefully consider whether or not the terms of this bill are Constitutional to avoid the embarrassment of passage of an unenforceable law. I also encourage you to consider whether this ill-advised bill will accomplish anything whatsoever in terms of its intended target - the protection of women in domestic conflict. It appears to enable exactly the opposite.

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Subject*	Please SUPPORT S0374, S0379, S0399, S0664!
Comments* (feel free to personalize the letter)	Members of the Senate Judiciary committee and President of the Senate, Please support the following bills: S0374: Please support S0374 which will give our Attorney General the authority to create reciprocity agreements with other States' concealed weapons permit laws so that other states may recognize our concealed carry permit. This is good for RI licensees who often travel for business or pleasure as it may give them the peace of mind knowing that the state they travel to will recognize their permit. Permit holders from other States are required to follow all Rhode Island laws while visiting Rhode Island. Driver's licenses are recognized in all 50 States so there should be a process to do the same for CCW permits. S0379: Please support S0379 which will direct the RI Attorney General's office to report gun-related statistics to the RI General Assembly yearly. This provides important data on gun crime in our state and holds our judicial system accountable as many gun-related crimes result in plea bargains for lessened sentences or penalties. We could all benefit from more statistics and accountability when it comes to crime, which is why this is a good bill. Please support S0379, as it is common-sense legislation. S0399: Please support S0399 which will legalize the use of suppressor on long guns. There are currently 42 states in which civilians are allowed to purchase and possess suppressors although they will still be regulated by the Federal Government. Firearms are inherently loud and therefore more of a reason to reduce the noise levels. I cannot think of any other item that is prohibited by law to be made quieter! S0664: Please support S0664 which will mandate background checks and revamp our current concealed carry permit licensing process to be more concise for both the licensing authority and the licensee as well as giving applicants due process. This bill will codify existing case law into General Law so there will no longer be confusion for the licensing authorities that have previously imposed unprecedented requirements and waiting periods and often resulted in wrongful denials. The bill will also create a process for appealing denials where the court will have to review a denial unlike today where the court can reject a petition for an appeal and leave the applicant without due process. The bill will also fix a loophole in which an illegal immigrant could be licensed to carry a firearm.

These bills are Anti gun bills.

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Subject*	Please OPPOSE S0187, S0223, S0376, S0404, S0405, S0412, S0587, S0594, S0837, S0840!
Comments* (feel free to personalize the letter)	Members of the Senate Judiciary committee and the President of the Senate, Please OPPOSE the following bills: S0187: Please oppose S0187 which will severely restrict parents with a CCW permit to protect their children in K-12 schools while picking them up or to attend any school sponsored event. Nearly every mass shooting in the last 50 years have been in gun free zones and should be enough evidence that they do NOT work and mass shooters have admitted they chose gun free zones because they anticipated they would kill more victims before being confronted by an armed individual. RI has one of the strictest processes out of all states to becoming licensed to carry, and there are currently only about 3,500 RI concealed carry permit holders, which accounts for only 0.33% of RI's population. Criminalizing these law-abiding permit holders, potentially including K-12 school faculty and family members of students, would be irresponsible. There have been no documented cases of a concealed carry permit holders committing a school shooting, but CCW permit holders have stopped/prevented shootings. By prohibiting CCW permit holders from possessing a firearm on school property they could become an easy target for a stalked since they will be unarmed on a predictable time and place. Although the RI State House is a gun free zone, the RI State Police are armed at all times and are there to protect the public. K-12 schools does not offer this kind of protection. S0223: Please oppose S0223 which will limit magazine capacity to 10 rounds. Criminals will pay no attention to it, thereby putting law-abiding citizens who follow the law at a disadvantage in a confrontation. Our most vulnerable citizens (elderly and disabled) who may have difficulty reloading a magazine will be at a severe disadvantage if he/she needs to reload during a life threatening situation. Comparing magazine limits for hunting with self-defense situations is nonsense since game animals are not armed. Magazines of more than 10 rounds are not "large capacity" and most firearms come standard from the manufacturer with magazines that holds more than 10 rounds. Other states, including CT and NY, tried magazine limits with disastrous results. The great majority of their citizens have refused to comply, therefore accomplished nothing but creating thousands of felons. This bill is also unconstitutional since there is no provision for financial compensation for confiscated magazines that are legally owned today. S0376: Please oppose S0376 which is a lifetime ban on possessing a firearm for a misdemeanor domestic violence offense. The definitions of domestic violence are too broad and there are no other Constitutional rights that are void upon a conviction of a misdemeanor offense! S0404: Please oppose this bill which will severely restrict where rifles and shotguns can be carried. It would even make it more restrictive than for pistols and revolvers if you have a CCW permit (these permits does not apply to rifles and shotguns). There is NO provision to go to a friend's property to shoot or to go to the airport for someone who might be flying out of state on a hunting trip or shooting competition. There is a MANDATORY sentence of at least 1 year for a violation. There is also mandatory sentence of 15 years under certain circumstances such as a when a person sells a firearm legally, but the buyer lies on the form (Federal Offense) and since there is a mandatory sentence the seller will also get 15 years! S0405: Please do NOT support S0405, a bill that would deny due process in alleged domestic violence situations. This bill would eliminate the court's discretion and require the confiscation of firearms when issuing a protective order even if no firearm or force were involved. This bill also needs additional language to prevent it from being overly harsh or misapplied. For example, under this bill a person can be ordered to turn in his or her firearms for nonviolent offenses, such as cyber stalking or harassment. The bill requires firearms to be surrendered to either an FFL dealer or law enforcement, which are to set their own storage and return procedures. This can lead to damaged firearms which can be expensive and exceedingly high storage fees. Supporters of the bill claim that the court orders firearms to be turned in only five percent of the time a protective order is issued. But they fail to mention in how many of those cases the offender could not legally own a firearm in the first place. It would be far better to keep the current approach, which gives the court the discretion, case by case, to determine if a firearm should be surrendered. S0405 is poorly written and could harm innocent Rhode Islanders by confiscating their property without sufficient cause and without due process. Please do NOT support S0405. S0412: Please oppose S0412 which will require a mandatory minimum sentence of two years for altering identification marks of a firearm. There might be special circumstances where a crime was not intended and does not give the court any discretion when it comes to sentencing. For example, it wasn't until the Gun Control Act of 1968 serial numbers were required to be used on firearms and there are firearms that does not have a serial number that could be interpreted by the court that the marks have been removed. S0587: Please oppose S0587 which assigns an unnecessary financial burden on a concealed carry permit applicant to pay their licensing authority to process a national background check, and instead support S0664 which codifies existing case law to make our concealed carry permitting process better for both the licensing authorities and the licensees S0594: Please oppose this bill which will severely restrict where and when minors can possess a firearm. This will only affect activity involving long guns because the law already prohibits the carrying of handguns without a permit (11-47-8). The supporters of this bill claims it is necessary because they cannot prosecute minors under existing law, but the fact is it is typically handguns that are used in crimes so why are minors not prosecuted under 11-47-8 instead of 11-47-33? By deleting the words "and use", the statute makes a criminal out of any minor who simply possesses a firearm, including a "BB" gun. There are some exemptions in the bill, such as firearm's permits to minors. However, none of the Chiefs that were contacted just 3-4 years ago said they a policy in place and we also know too well all the issues there are with issuing Shall Issue permits under 11-47-11. S0837: Please oppose S0837 which is mandating that ALL injuries sustained during hunting and trapping must be reported to the DEM regardless of the severity and whether a firearm was involved or not. The DEM would get flooded with reports of minor bruises and there is no value whatsoever to reporting all injuries either. S0840: Please oppose S0840 which will strike 11-47-11 (local licensing authorities for issuing CCW permits). Currently the local licensing authorities SHALL issue a CCW permit if the statutory requirements are met while the Attorney General MAY issue a permit under 11-47-18. It is a well known fact the abuse that is taking place at the Attorney General's office with regards to issuing CCW permits and many applicants who have legitimate reasons for wanting to protect themselves are denied with a standard denial letter. The Rhode Island Supreme Court stated in the Mosby decision that "Because the Firearms Act provides for both discretionary and mandatory licensing to qualified applicants, the constitutional guarantee to keep and bear arms is fulfilled." By striking 11-47-11 this constitutional guarantee would no longer be fulfilled! There is no transparency or due process in the Attorney General's process either so please OPPOSE S0840!

Senate Bill No. S0405 BY Metts, Calkin, Quezada, Crowley, Nesselbush ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE--COURTS -- DOMESTIC ASSAULT - PROTECT RHODE ISLAND FAMILIES ACT (Limits access to firearms when an individual is under certain types of domestic restraining orders or protective orders issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2017.)

Senate Bill No. S0110 BY Lombardo, Kettle ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO FISH AND WILDLIFE - BIRDS (Legalizes the taking of wild migratory birds by crossbow.)

Senate Bill No. S0187 BY Metts, Goldin, Crowley, Quezada, Calkin ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- WEAPONS (Limits carrying of firearms on school grounds to peace officers.)

Senate Bill No. S0223 BY Goldin, Coyne, Miller, DaPonte, Goodwin ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- WEAPONS (Criminalizes the manufacture, import, possession, purchase, sale or transfer of any ammunition feeding device capable of accepting more than ten (10) rounds known as high capacity magazines.)

Senate Bill No. S0374 BY Archambault, Ruggerio, McCaffrey, Lombardo, Lombardi ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- WEAPONS (Provides the attorney general with the authority to enter into reciprocal agreements with other states concerning carrying of concealed weapons.)

Senate Bill No. S0376 (Attorney General) BY Goodwin ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - WEAPONS (Includes those persons convicted of an offense punishable as a misdemeanor offense under §12-29-2 (domestic violence) to those persons prohibited from possessing a firearm.)

Senate Bill No. S0379 BY Archambault, Ruggerio, McCaffrey, Lombardo, Lombardi ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - DEPARTMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL - GUN CRIMES REPORT (Directs the attorney general to report annually to the general assembly on the incidence and disposition of crimes involving guns.)

Senate Bill No. S0399 BY Archambault, Ruggerio, McCaffrey, Lombardo, Lombardi ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - WEAPONS (Defines a firearm silencer and permit the use of such a device on any firearm with an overall length of seventeen inches or greater and would permit the use of such a device for lawful hunting activity.)

Senate Bill No. S0403 (Attorney General) BY Miller, Nesselbush ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -WEAPONS (Provides that no person shall knowingly purchase or otherwise obtain a firearm on behalf of or transfer to a person who the transferor knows or reasonably should know is prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm under federal or state law.)

Senate Bill No. S0404 (Attorney General) BY Miller, Nesselbush ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - WEAPONS (Makes it unlawful to carry a rifle or shotgun in a vehicle, except under limited circumstances and enhances the penalty to anyone who transfers a firearm as a minor which is then used in a crime of violence.)

Senate Bill No. S0412 (Attorney General) BY Goodwin ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- WEAPONS (Defines imitation firearm and makes it unlawful to change or remove certain markings required to be on an imitation firearm.)

Senate Bill No. S0587 (Attorney General) BY Goldin, Miller, Coyne, Metts, Goodwin ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - WEAPONS (Requires applicants for a license or carry permit for firearms to undergo a national BCI.)

Senate Bill No. S0594 (Attorney General) BY Metts ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - WEAPONS (Amends the statute for possession of firearms by minors.)

Senate Bill No. S0664 BY Archambault, Lombardo, Lombardi, McCaffrey ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- WEAPONS (Makes numerous changes to the procedures regarding the issuance of concealed carry permits, the fees associated with their issuance, and the public records accessible by the public in relating thereto.)

Senate Bill No. S0837 (Environmental Management) BY Ciccone, Doyle, Lombardi ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO FISH AND WILDLIFE - HUNTING AND HUNTING SAFETY (Requires any person who sustains an injury to themselves or causes an injury to another while hunting or trapping to report the injury to the department of environmental management immediately.)

Senate Bill No. S0840 BY Coyne, Seveney, Conley, DiPalma ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - WEAPONS (Limits the issuances of pistol and revolver carry permits to the office of the attorney general.)