BOSTON (AP) — A bill that would require the safe storage of firearms in Rhode Island has been approved by lawmakers and is awaiting the governor’s signature.

The bill, which won final approval from lawmakers on Thursday, would require all firearms, when not in use by the owner or authorized user, be stored in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device properly engaged in order to render the firearm inoperable.

The legislation now heads to Gov. Daniel McKee, who plans to sign the bill Thursday.

Sen. Pamela Lauria, one of the sponsors of the bill, drew parallels to other regulations aimed at protecting children, including insurance mandates for the coverage of pediatric cancer and car seats aimed at protecting children from dying in auto accidents.

“But gun violence, not cancer or car collisions, is the leading cause of death for children, and that’s unacceptable when we have the tools to decrease its occurrence,” Lauria said. “This is the seat belt law for responsible gun ownership.”

Massachusetts and Connecticut have similar laws.

Under the legislation, unsafe storage of a firearm would be a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $250 for a first offense and $1,000 for a second. Any subsequent violation would be punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $500.

An analysis released last year by the Pew Research Center found that the number of children and teens killed by gunfire in the United States increased 50% between 2019 and 2021, based on mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Critics of the bill have argued that the bill amounts to infringement on the rights of law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves with a firearm in their homes. Opponents have also said that requiring guns to be stored in a locked container or equipped with a trigger lock could delay their efforts to protect themselves and their families.

Currently, Rhode Island punishes those who leave a firearm where a child can get it, but only if it is loaded and the child causes injury with it. Those convicted face a fine of $1,000 but no jail time.

The bill expands that law so it applies whether or not the gun is loaded and extends it to cover not only children but adults who are prohibited by law from possessing firearms.

Violators would be charged with second-degree criminal firearm storage if a child or prohibited adult were able to gain access to the improperly stored weapon, and face up to a year in prison and up to $1,000 in fines.

If the child or prohibited person caused injury with the firearm, the person responsible for the improper storage of the gun could face a first-degree charge, with up to 5 years in prison and $5,000 in fines.

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Here are some of The Providence Journal’s most-read stories for the week of June 2, supported by your subscriptions.

• Paris, New York, London, Providence. Sure, our state capital is known for its food scene and events like WaterFire, but to be listed among the best cities in the world may come as a surprise. Yet, Providence ranked 95th out of 1,000 cities from around the world in a new report, the “Global Cities Index” by Oxford Economics, a United Kingdom-based economic advisory company. This is the company’s first time releasing the report. How did it get there? Read the full story to find out.
• The idea of drive-in movie theaters evokes a certain nostalgia, and Rhode Island used to have its fair share of places where you could bring a carful of family or friends and settle into a big-screen treat. While most have been torn down, some still remain. This week’s What and Why RI looks back at the past and how to relive that fun now.
• The spring high school sports season is wrapping up, with championships on the line. For that, as well as the latest news from the college ranks, go to providencejournal.com/sports.

Here are the week’s top reads on providencejournal.com:

It was a rough week for Rhode Island’s restaurant scene. Journal food and dining editor Gail Ciampa reported that on Federal Hill, a trio of restaurants announced they would soon end service. Later in the week, Gail reported that closures and changes were coming to even more restaurants, while a South Kingstown favorite would be shut down after a devastating fire. Meanwhile, in Warwick, The Journal’s Wheeler Cowperthwaite reports that Hooters has closed. The reason? The Washington Bridge.

Dining: Service coming to an end for three restaurants on Federal Hill. What to know.

On a fine summer day, you can probably find Caswell Cooke on a stage near Westerly’s Misquamicut Beach wearing a sailor outfit and jamming with his band, Caswell & the Peel N’ Eats.

These days you can also find Cooke in slacks and a jacket in meeting rooms trying to persuade Westerly residents and city officials to save Misquamicut Beach from coastal erosion. In recent months, Cooke has made his case before the Misquamicut Business Association – over which he presides – Westerly’s Town Council – on which he once served – and the Misquamicut Fire District.

He cooked up a plan that involves dredging sand from the ocean floor onto the coast. It has been done in other coastal communities, perhaps most recently in Montauk, Long Island, in New York, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers placed 500,000 cubic yards of sand along 4,100 feet of coastline. The Montauk project cost $11.7 million and, thanks to favorable weather, was completed ahead of schedule.

Beaches: Winter storms are eroding Misquamicut. Could this sand restoration plan be the answer?

As more frequent and intense storms have battered Newport’s famous Cliff Walk, causing chunks to plunge into the waters below and sinkholes to appear without warning, millions of public dollars have gone into the trail, and almost as quickly, nature has wiped the repairs away.

It’s an issue that’s existed for nearly a century, but the accelerating storm threats of climate change are raising a new question: Is continued investment in the nationally recognized yet steadily crumbling trail the right decision for a city that’s already struggling with other, more pressing financial burdens?

And how exactly did the Cliff Walk, which is pieced together on a series of private properties, come to be? Take a look back at the history of the famed oceanside trail.

Attractions: The Cliff Walk continues to crumble into the sea. Are repairs worth Newport’s investment?

The anniversary of D-Day is always a big event in Normandy, France, but this year’s commemoration was expected to be especially meaningful, since it’s probably the last major anniversary that D-Day participants will attend, says Tim Gray, founder and president of the World War II Foundation.

“This year will be absolutely crazy,” said Gray, who’s been to Normandy 18 times and plans to be there this year. “They’re really rolling out the red carpet,” he said.

President Joe Biden, other heads of state and major television networks were expected to be in Normandy for the June 6 anniversary, according to Gray. Airlines flew World War II veterans to the ceremonies for free.

Surrounded by World War II artifacts, Gray was speaking from The International Museum of World War II he created on Main Street in South Kingstown. A former television sports reporter, Gray left that field to follow his passion for telling the stories of World War II veterans.

D-Day: For Museum of World War II founder, this D-Day anniversary might be the most important ever

BARRINGTON – A Rhode Island pediatrician has been sentenced to serve seven years in prison after admitting to molesting a 7-year-old girl. 

David S. Healey, 52, of Barrington, pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree child molestation. Superior Court Judge Linda Rekas Sloan sentenced Healey to 15 years, with seven to serve, and the remainder suspended with probation. He received credit for the time he has served since his arrest in March.

Courts: RI pediatrician sentenced after admitting to molesting 7-year-old

Representative George A. Nardone, a Coventry Republican, proposed an amendment that would create an inspector general’s office within the lieutenant governor’s office.

Republicans have been pushing for years to create an inspector general’s office to investigate waste, fraud and abuse, but the idea has gone nowhere. This year, GOP lawmakers linked the idea to outrage over the closure of the westbound lanes of the Washington Bridge.

Minority Leader Michael W. Chippendale, a Foster Republican, said 23 states, the military, and the federal government have inspector general offices, and every $1 invested in those federal offices saves $21. “If anyone can point me to an investment with a 2100 percent return, throw it at me, as long as it’s legal,” he said.

Representative Evan P. Shanley, a Warwick Democrat, said the concept of an inspector general is “excellent,” but he said that proposal should be decided as part of a state constitutional convention. “I don’t think this is the right vehicle for it,” he said.

And House Floor Manager John G. “Jay” Edwards, a Tiverton Democrat, said it doesn’t make sense to put an independent inspector general inside the lieutenant governor’s office since that’s an “elected partisan office” with a $1.4 million budget and just eight employees. “This is not the mechanism to create the office of inspector general,” he said.

The amendment failed by a vote of 11 to 61.

Film tax credits defended

Representative Patricia A. Morgan, a West Warwick Republican running for the US Senate, proposed an amendment that would eliminate $20 million in motion picture tax credits and use that money to eliminate the the gross earnings tax on electric bills.

Morgan said it’s nice to see films made in Rhode Island, but she said the tax credit program has not created a movie industry in the state. And she said, “What we do have is a lot of constituents, small businesses, and large business being hammered with high electric rates.”

But Representative Jon D. Brien, a Woonsocket independent, said films such as “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale,” and episodes of the “The Brotherhood” series were filmed in Woonsocket, and it provided a boost to the city’s economy.

“The film industry will go elsewhere,” he warned. “Other cities and towns and states will do it. Let’s incentivize the movie industry here in Rhode Island and have movies filmed in our cities and towns.”

That amendment failed by a vote of 6 to 61.

Housing bond changed and approved

The budget includes a record $120 million housing bond that will be placed before voters in November. On Friday night, the House passed a floor amendment that would double the amount dedicated to “home ownership” from $10 million to $20 million while cutting the amount for “affordable housing” from $90 million to $80 million.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, said that proposal came from Governor Daniel J. McKee’s office.

Shekarchi said housing is needed at every level, including market-rate housing, workforce housing, and affordable housing. “So in this budget and in this bond, there’s enough money for all of those things,” he said. “But I don’t think there’s any one magic bullet that solves it all.”

Representative Enrique Sanchez, a Providence Democrat, said a $120 million investment in housing “seems a little bit inadequate” in the context of a $14 billion budget. He said backs the budget overall, calling it “one of the most progressive budgets I have ever seen.” But he said the housing crisis calls for an investment of anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion.

Cost-of-living increases hailed

Legislators praised the budget for providing cost-of-living increases to pensioners who retired before 2012 rather than waiting until the retirement system is 80 percent funded. The budget would allow other pensioners to get COLAs once the system is 75 percent funded. And it would allow for calculating pension benefits based on the average of the highest three years of compensation rather than five years.

Representative Charlene M. Lima, a Cranston Democrat, noted she has been an outspoken critic of the 2011 pension overhaul championed by former state treasurer and governor Gina M. Raimondo, who is now the US commerce secretary. And she praised Shekarchi for including the cost-of-living increases in this year’s budget despite “substantial and unexpected burdens” such as replacing the Washington Bridge.

“Until today, we have not seen any substantial effort to begin to correct this injustice,” Lima said. “We will continue to do more to get more retirees their just desserts next session until all retirees are made whole.”

General Treasurer James A. Diossa has warned that those pension changes would increase the unfunded pension liability by $417 million and “could potentially have an impact on the state’s bond rating in the future.”

Medicaid reimbursements

Legislators noted the budget added $44 million to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates right away rather than phasing those increases in over three years, as proposed by McKee. Legislators said that would make a big difference for the state’s medical, clinical, social, and human service providers.

“We recognize a budget is a moral document and it is one that lays out an institution’s priorities,” said Representative David Morales, a Providence Democrat. “We have a budget that has made some the most significant increases in Medicaid reimbursement rates that this state has seen in decades — specifically for early intervention, home care services, adults being able to access a dentist. That has tangible effects on day-to-day lives of some of our most vulnerable.”

But Nardone said those reimbursement rate increases would not help Rhode Island address a shortage of primary care providers. “This has to be addressed,” he said.

RIPTA funding

The budget also boosted funding by $5 million for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, helping the bus agency avoid previously proposed service cuts.

“We ensured there was funding so our public transportation system remained stable,” Morales said. “We heard directly from the agency (Thursday) that they were not going to move forward with any service cuts in the summer.”

Impact on businesses

While praising some aspects of the budget, Nardone said “as whole it does not do enough for the business community.” He the “most egregious” example was the decision to continue charging a $50 corporate minimum tax even though McKee had proposed eliminating it. “That is a flat tax paid by small businesses,” he said. “You pay it if you make money, you pay it if you lose money.”

Education funding

Providence, the largest school district which is now under a state takeover, had been slated to get a $300,000 cut to its $282 million in state aid under McKee’s proposal. But the House budget boosts aid to Providence increases by $11.7 million.

“(Providence Public School District) cannot hide behind the excuse of having insufficient funding in order to ensure that our schools are well staffed,” Morales said. So now he expects “we are going to reverse the layoffs of dozens of public school teachers, we are going to reverse the layoffs of social workers because that has had an impact on the morale of our students.”

The state Senate will take up the budget next week as the legislature enters what is expected to be its final week.

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.