Most basically, the legislation – headed for first-ever votes in the Rhode Island legislature – would prohibit the manufacture, purchase, sale, transfer and possession of certain "assault weapons," including certain types of semiautomatic shotguns, rifles and pistols.

If passed by the full House on Thursday, attention will focus on whether new Senate President Lawson can get the bill to the Senate floor.

The Rhode Island House of Representatives passed an assault weapons ban on Thursday. The Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2025 would prohibit the manufacture, purchase, sale, transfer, and possession of certain “assault weapons,