Rhode Island

Will RI gun owners have to give up their ‘assault weapons’ in 2026? What to know.

Published

3 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

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Will RI gun owners have to give up their ‘assault weapons’ in 2026? What to know.

Rhode Island lawmakers are proposing a ban on the possession of firearms defined as “assault weapons.”
Current owners would have until December 31, 2026, to sell, transfer, or destroy the prohibited firearms.
The state’s law defines “assault weapons” based on specific features rather than by make or model.

Rhode Island lawmakers are once again attempting to ban the outright possession of a group of firearms they define as “assault weapons” after a controversial ban on the sale and manufacture of those weapons passed in 2025.

Put simply: The bills would add the word “possess” to this sentence, already in law: “No person shall manufacture, sell, offer to sell, transfer, or purchase a prohibited firearm, except as otherwise authorized.”

When would it go into effect?: Rhode Islanders who own a prohibited firearm purchased before July 1, 2026 would have until Dec. 31, 2026 to destroy, sell or transfer the firearm to a federally licensed firearms dealer or an individual who can lawfully possess that firearm.

Why July 1? That’s when the ban on the sale, manufacture or purchase of assault weapons goes into effect in Rhode Island, so no new assault weapons would be purchased in the state after that date.

Want to learn more? Read more about the proposal below:

What do the bills to ban the possession of assault weapons say?

The two bills, H8073 in the House and S2710 in the Senate, would rewrite the current law to say: “No person shall posses, manufacture, sell, offer to sell, transfer, or purchase a prohibited firearm, except as otherwise authorized under this section.”

It would give any Rhode Islander who “lawfully possesses a prohibited firearm prior to July 1, 2026” an opportunity to sell, offer to sell, or transfer their prohibited firearm to a federally licensed firearm dealer, or to an individual outside the state who may lawfully possess such weapon, by Dec. 31, 2026.

What is the punishment? Convictions for violating the law would come with a punishment of:

Up to 10 years in prison or
A fine up to $10,000
Prohibited firearm would be forfeited

What is considered an assault weapon in Rhode Island, by law?

Rather than focus on prohibiting specific makes and models of firearms, Rhode Island’s assault weapons ban relies on particular features of a firearm to determine whether it qualifies as an “assault weapon.”

Here’s the breakdown of prohibited features for each type of firearm:

Shotguns:

A semi-automatic shotgun that has a fixed magazine capacity exceeding six (6) rounds
Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder

Semi-automatic rifles:

A semi-automatic rifle with a fixed magazine capacity exceeding ten (10) rounds
A semi-automatic rifle that has the ability to accept a detachable magazine, and has at least one of the following features:
- A folding or telescoping stock
- A bayonet mount
- A grenade launcher
- A shroud attached to the barrel or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned, except an extension of the stock along the bottom of the barrel, which does not encircle or substantially encircle the barrel
- A pistol grip or thumbhole stock
- A flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor

Semi-automatic pistols:

A semi-automatic pistol that has a fixed magazine capacity exceeding ten (10) rounds

Any semi-automatic firearm:

A semi-automatic firearm that has the capacity to accept a belt ammunition feeding device

What is a semi-automatic firearm? The law defines it as any firearm which fires a single projectile for each single pull of the trigger and is self-reloading or automatically chambers a round, cartridge or bullet.

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Rhode Island

100+ Rhode Island water bodies stocked with 60,000 fish before start of trout season

Published

9 hours ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

100+ Rhode Island water bodies stocked with 60,000 fish before start of trout season

RICHMOND, R.I. (WPRI) — Break out those fishing rods. Opening day for trout season in Rhode Island is this Saturday, April 11.

In a press release Wednesday, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management shared that it has stocked over 100 freshwater locations, including children’s only ponds, with more than 60,000 fish.

The stocked fish include brook, brown, rainbow and golden rainbow trout. Anyone who catches a golden rainbow trout between April 11 and May 3 will be eligible to receive a golden trout pin.

Anglers who catch a golden rainbow trout between those dates must snap a picture of their catch and email it to dem.fishri@dem.ri.gov. Submissions received after May 4 will not be considered. There is a limit of one pin per person.

ALSO READ: New pedestrian bridges open on East Bay Bike Path with new spots for fishing

Due to a study being conducted by the DEM and the Rhode Island Department of Health on how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, accumulate in stocked trout, Upper Melville Pond in Portsmouth will be closed to fishing from May 4 until July 2. The pond, also known as Thurston Gray Pond, will be open for the start of the season, but not stocked with fish.

A 2026 fishing license is required for anglers 15 and older. Anglers between the ages of 15 and 65 must have a Trout Conservation Stamp to keep their catch, with some exceptions. You can find information on size and creel limits here. Fishing licenses can be purchased here.

The annual free fishing weekend in Rhode Island will be on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3. Residents and visitors alike can fish for all species of freshwater fish without a license or trout conservation stamp on those days.

Fishing in trout-stocked waters before April 11 is prohibited. You can find a full list of stocked waters here.

DEM: Designated trout waters in Rhode Island

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island lawmakers to consider several firearm bills

Published

21 hours ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Rhode Island lawmakers to consider several firearm bills

(WJAR) — Rhode Island lawmakers are considering several firearm bills on Wednesday.

The House Judiciary Committee will discuss these bills after two mass shootings happened in the region in just six months.

It’s also been nearly a year since lawmakers banned the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons in Rhode Island.

Some of those Bills include:

A ban on buying more than one gun in a 30-day period
Requiring anyone looking to possess a firearm excluding police and military, to complete and pass firearm safety training
One that would ban people with felony convictions from owning a gun
There is also a bill that would make it permissible for students, professors or employees of any public or private university to carry, and possess a stun gun or pepper spray for purposes of self-defense

One that may not be talked about today but has been introduced, a bill that would outright ban the possession of military-style semiautomatic guns.

Second Amendment advocates are expected to don yellow shirts and pack the state house for the hearing to make their voices heard.

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island Drivers Most Attentive In Nation: Study

Published

1 day ago

April 7, 2026

Press Room

Rhode Island Drivers Most Attentive In Nation: Study

Rhode Island drivers are the most attentive in America, a recent study revealed.

The study, conducted by personal injury law firm Easton & Easton, examined National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System data and Federal Highway Administration licensed driver statistics from 2019 to 2023 and determined Rhode Islanders died in distracted driving crashes less than the residents of any other state, according to a media release accompanying the results.

See also: As Iran Conflict Continues, Here’s What Gas Could Cost In Rhode Island

“That gamble has cost thousands of American families a loved one in the past five years,” according to the release. “Now, with Google rolling out its voice-interactive ‘Ask Maps’ feature, the question is which parts of the country can least afford one more distraction.”

See also: Rhode Island’s Truck Traffic Densest In Nation: Study

A mere 2.6 Rhode Islanders were killed in distracted driving crashes per year from 2019 to 2023, compared to 639.8 Texans.

But the rate per 100,000 drivers was also impressively the lowest in the nation at 0.34. The state with the highest number per 100,000 drivers was New Mexico with 16.95

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