In a lot of ways, Rhode Island is one of the most gun-controlled states in the nation. They have gun control all over the blasted place. The last thing they needed was still more gun control.

Yet, in the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, it seems the state felt like they needed still more of it.

Three weeks after the horrific mass murder of 19 schoolchildren and two teachers at a Texas elementary school by an 18-year-old gunman, the Rhode Island General Assembly on Tuesday passed sweeping gun control legislation which limits high capacity magazines, bans the open carry of long guns, and raises the age to purchase a firearm or ammunition to 21.

The high capacity magazine bill (2022-H 6614A, 2022-S 2653) prohibits the possession, sale or transfer of any feeding device capable of holding, or readily able to be extended to hold, more than 10 rounds of ammunition to be fed continuously into a semi-automatic firearm.

“Uvalde. Buffalo. Sandy Hook. Parkland. Las Vegas. Orlando. Sutherland Springs. Boulder. Aurora… the list goes on. High-capacity magazines have enabled mass shooters to commit the most devastating, appalling, and most lethal attacks on the public in recent decades. With this bill, we are finally saying we will not tolerate these dangerous weapons,” said Representative Caldwell (D-Dist. 30, East Greenwich, West Greenwich) “Our neighboring states have already prohibited high-capacity magazines, and we should join them in refusing to accept the risks they present to Rhode Islanders.”

Except, at least with Parkland, the killer didn’t have so-called high-capacity magazines. He had 10-round magazines.

Further, Buffalo happened in a state that had already banned those same magazines. How did that work out again?

The new measure doesn’t include a grandfather clause. Instead, it gives owners of such magazines 180 days to destroy them, modify them to only accept 10 rounds, turn them in to law enforcement, or sell them to certain parties such as FFL holders or folks out of state.

Plus, now no one under the age of 21 can own any firearm, not even a shotgun for home defense.

Tell me again how it’s really about so-called assault weapons? Do you really think you can convince me of that at this point?

Seriously?

Rhode Island had plenty of gun control, but they’ve now passed more and done absolutely nothing to make anyone safer. Nothing at all.

Yet that’s how gun control works.

It’s an illusion, a smoke screen to make politicians seem responsive to the problem, without having to actually address any problems. It lets them delude low-information voters who let others tell them what to think, allowing them to tell themselves they’re part of the solution when they usually don’t even really understand the problem.

None of this will save lives. But it will cost them.

After all, if no one under 21 can own a firearm or ammunition, how are they supposed to protect themselves? These are lawful adults who often live alone. How are they supposed to protect themselves or their families?

The short answer is that they’re not because the Rhode Island General Assembly doesn’t care about their lives.

It’s just that simple.