In a cruel irony, just days before we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the creation of the United States of America, which could not have happened without thousands of able-bodied men bearing their own arms to defend their freedom and liberty, the state of Rhode Island will make it illegal to purchase or sell the modern version of a musket. AR-15s and other semi-automatic firearms labeled "assault weapons" will be prohibited for sale beginning on July 1, and some Democrats are demanding the state go even further and ban their possession as well.
In Virginia, where a similar ban is set to take effect on the same day (though an injunction will prevent the Virginia State Police from enforcing the law, at least if it's not stayed by an appellate court), gun stores have been packed with customers and both firearms and magazines have been selling as soon as they hit store shelves. Rhode Island has seen a similar surge in recent weeks, but one gun store owner cautioned customers that if they've been waiting until the last minute to make their purchase, they're too late.
Surplus Provisions and Firearms co-owner Tonya Pereira said that means buyers should've started their state application and federal paperwork by June 22.
"There are no exemptions built into this law that's going into effect," Pereira said. "So if you don't have your firearm in your hands on June 30, you will legally not be able to pick it up."
The ban was signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee last June. It requires only one military-style feature to constitute a "prohibited weapon."
For Pereira and other gun sellers, that's a big portion of inventory.
"It would be easier to show you what's not banned than what is banned," she said.
Democrats who rammed the ban through the legislature claim it's all about public safety, even though according to the FBI, there were zero murders in which a rifle was the murder weapon in 2024, which is the most recent year where that data is available.
The real reason for the ban is simple: the Supreme Court has explicitly told the anti-gunners that banning handguns is unconstitutional, so now they're moving on to something the Court has been silent about, at least for now.
According to State Rep. Jason Knight, who represents Barrington and Warren and sponsored the legislation, it's a public safety measure.
"We effectively have a law that is going to prevent the universe of weapons that are existing in the state from getting any bigger," he said.
I regret to inform everyone who voted for Knight that they cast their ballot for a moron. This law will prevent law-abiding individuals from purchasing some of the most popular firearms in the country today. It will not, however, prevent the "universe of weapons" in Rhode Island from getting any bigger. Not only will lawful sales of non-"assault weapons" continue to take place, but criminals will still acquire firearms, including banned guns, on the black market.
Knight's comment will be helpful, though, to those who challenging the ban on commonly owned semi-automatic firearms. The lawmaker expressed quite clearly the real intent of the legislature: not to keep people safe, but to prevent people from exercising their Second Amendment rights.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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