Anti-Gun Lawmakers Drop the Mask in Rhode Island

With more than a dozen gun-related bills on the schedule, the Rhode Island House Judiciary committee met for hours on Wednesday afternoon and evening, with hundreds of Second Amendment supporters descending on the statehouse beforehand to urge lawmakers to oppose the vast majority of the bills. 

It’s hard to say what’s the worst gun control bill up for debate in Rhode Island this year, because so many of them are flagrant attacks on lawful gun owners. The bill that’s received the most attention, though, is HB 8073, which would force current owners of so-called assault weapons to destroy them, turn them over to law enforcement, or move them out of state unless they want to face ten years in prison if they’re caught with their lawfully purchased firearm.

The shameless gun confiscation bill has officially been brought forth.

“It simply addresses one word: Possess”

They’re coming for your guns, they are not hiding it anymore. https://t.co/ciKo1Tm0NY pic.twitter.com/NwnGWVD5mV

— National Association for Gun Rights (@gunrights) April 8, 2026

Rep. Teresa Tanzi, the prime sponsor of HB 8073, got plenty of pushback from her fellow Democrats over her bill; not because any of them have suddenly seen the light on the importance of the Second Amendment, but because they’re concerned that the legislation would be vulnerable to a court challenge. 

I’ll give Tanzi credit, though. She’s simply taking the existing ban on the sale and manufacture of so-called assault weapons to its logical conclusion. 

“If these weapons are too dangerous to be sold in Rhode Island, we should have addressed possession at the same time,” she stated. 

Now, these guns are not “too dangerous” to be sold in Rhode Island or any other state, but at least Tanzi’s honest enough to admit that any gun ban that allows existing owners to keep them is just an intermediate step towards the real goal of confiscation. 

As the National Association of Gun Rights noted, many of the legislators providing testimony about bills that they’ve introduced were unable to provide even basic answers about their legislation. Why? Because while they might be running the bills, they were actually crafted by gun control groups. This was evident when Rep. Jenni Furtado gave testimony about HB 8067; a bill that essentially mirrors federal law on felons being prohibited from possessing firearms. 

When Furtado was asked about the need for this bill, her response was downright laughable. After a moment of confused silence, Furtado replied with an embarrassed smile that she didn’t “really have an answer for that.” 

NAGR also highlighted this gem on their X account. 

When asked a simple question about her bill requiring victims of firearm theft to still carry insurance, the bill sponsor broke down and claimed she was being BULLIED. https://t.co/ciKo1Tm0NY pic.twitter.com/ezXupdvLQW

— National Association for Gun Rights (@gunrights) April 8, 2026

The question posed to Rep. Justine Caldwell was simple. HB 8075 would require gun owners to carry a $1,000,000 liability insurance policy, even if the firearm in question was stolen. When one member of the committee gently asked her to explain why that would be necessary, Caldwell went full Karen.

This is something that I think is worth talking about. I mean, like you guys are so rude. You’re just gonna come up here and be rude every single time. You know, you’ve gotta let us, like, have a conversation. 

There was no rudeness involved in the question, in either its premise or its delivery. Caldwell simply couldn’t explain that provision, so she lashed out at the questioner instead. 

Gun owners packed the hearing room, and many of them offered compelling testimony in opposition to these bills. 

“The statehouse continues to bring in Moms Demand Action as if they represent all mothers.”

“They do not represent me, because I demand action when it comes to my ability to possess a weapon.”

“Each year, we have the 2A community come into our statehouse, and they demand a… https://t.co/hgxIAMbOTb pic.twitter.com/4uOTHwHKSD

— National Association for Gun Rights (@gunrights) April 8, 2026

“The hypocrisy here is a little bit shameful. Just last week, this committee heard at least 10 pro-criminal bills.”

Exactly. They soften laws against violent offenders, then try to take your firearms, all while claiming it’s for your “safety.”

Great testimony from… https://t.co/MoCU6lKFK2 pic.twitter.com/yVD2w4Mn7K

— National Association for Gun Rights (@gunrights) April 8, 2026

The committee adjourned without taking any action on the gun control bills, which also include legislation requiring background checks on ammo sales, an attempt to make it easier to sue gun makers and sellers for the criminal misuse of their products, an attempt to make it harder for non-residents to obtain a Rhode Island carry permit,  “one gun a month” rationing scheme, the creation of a voluntary “do not sell” list, and a requirement that gun ranges post warning signs containing the number of the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

I appreciate all of the gun owners from across the state who showed up to speak out in defense of their rights. I’d also like to thank the anti-gun lawmakers who testified for giving us plenty of soundbites we can point to the next time someone claims that “nobody’s trying to take your guns away.” Yes, they are… and some of them aren’t afraid to admit it. 

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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