A Rhode Island military surplus shop is now in the gun business, and they kicked off their new era with a bang over the weekend.
Just a few days after the Rhode Island legislature passed a bill that will ban the sale, manufacture, and transfer of so-called assault weapons, Surplus Provisions decided to reward a couple of new customers with an AR-15... along with several other firearms that haven't been targeted (yet) by the anti-gunners at the statehouse.
Surplus Provisions’ Tonya Pereira announced earlier this month on social media that the store would be offering a variety of discounts and giveaways to celebrate their transition into firearms sales.
Through their Locked and Loaded Launch, which begins at 10 a.m., Pereira said Surplus Provisions is giving away six firearms.
Pereira said the first person in line Saturday morning will receive a free AR-15, while the second will get a free shotgun and the third would be gifted a revolver.
But that’s not all.
Pereira said the first 50 customers will be entered into a drawing to win another free AR-15. Anyone who shows up in Surplus Provisions gear will automatically be entered into another drawing for a free pistol as well.
Pereira was one of thousands of Second Amendment supporters who turned out at the statehouse to oppose the gun ban bill earlier this year, only to see the Democrat-controlled legislature pass a measure that will makes transferring, manufacturing, or selling the most popular rifles in the country a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison once the law kicks in on July 1, 2026.
Many of the lawmakers who voted for the bill said they frustrated and angry that the measure didn't also ban the possession of so-called assault weapons, and vowed to expand the ban next session. Those promises didn't prevent gun owners from flocking to Surplus Provisions this past weekend, however. In fact, Pereira says that customers were camping outside the store for several days in the hopes of getting an AR-15 free of charge.
"So the first three guys in line today, the free AR, the free shotgun, the free revolver... those guys were there since Wednesday night at midnight, which is insane," Pereira said in a video posted to the store's Facebook page.
"All three of those guys, when they came in, they stepped aside and they actually let everybody else go first and came back," Pereira said with a smile.
Pereira admitted that things were a little slow; not because of a lack of customers, but with employees and staff navigating "an entirely new process". Customers were patient and understanding, according to the store owner, who also thanked outside vendors, volunteers, and the local Friends of NRA chapter for lending a hand and helping to celebrate Surplus Provisions' expansion into gun sales.
With the gun ban looming, I suspect business in AR-15s and other modern sporting rifles will be brisk; not only for Pereira and Surplus Provisions but for other gun stores in the state. Unfortunately, as we've seen in states like Illinois, once those firearms are unable to be sold, many of these FFLs are going to struggle for their survival. That's not the most important reason why the Supreme Court needs to take up a semi-auto ban case at the next opportunity, but it's just one example of the irreparable harm these gun bans cause.
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