AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- RHODE ISLAND ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN ACT OF 2025

HB 5436, the Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2025, prohibits the manufacture, sale, possession, or transfer of specific semi-automatic firearms after July 1, 2026. It bans weapons defined as "assault weapons" based on features like detachable magazines, folding stocks, pistol grips, or threaded barrels (e.g., rifles with >10-round fixed magazines or shotguns with detachable magazines and certain features). Current owners of qualifying firearms legally possessed before July 1, 2026, may keep them under a grandfather clause, but new ownership or transfers after that date are prohibited. Exceptions include .22 caliber rimfire rifles with tubular magazines and Olympic target pistols. Violations carry fines up to $10,000 or up to 10 years in prison.