Since January, GOA has been tracking a mix of gun bills in the Rhode Island Assembly. While updates on these bills will be coming to you soon enough, something that stood out to us was Governor McKee’s FY 2026 budget proposal that was submitted to the General Assembly.

The budget included a so-called “assault weapons” ban to prohibit the future possession, purchase, sale, control, and manufacture of commonly owned firearms. 

To quote Governor Mckee directly [1:02:30]:

“Year after year I’ve stood here and asked the General Assembly to send an assault weapons ban to my desk. This year I’m sending you a budget, to the General Assembly, for the first time, will include a ban on assault weapons. Let’s finally get this done.”

The effort is unlike previous attempts in the sense that the Governor is willing to sidestep the legislative process in favor of strongarming his proposal, as a few key Assembly Members have stood in the way of passing previous gun bans.

Take Maryland, California, or New York, for example.

Every single one of these states has implemented an “assault weapons” ban, yet none of them have seen a decrease in violence. These bans simply don’t work. Instead, what they accomplish is stripping normal, law-abiding gun owners of their rights and ability to defend themselves, while failing to stop violent criminals who defy such bans anyway.

Governor McKee’s proposal directly infringes on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens and completely defies the Heller, McDonald, and Bruen decisions from the Supreme Court.

So now is the time to send a message to the Assembly and the Governor that your constitutional rights matter!

Tell your State Legislator and Governor Mckee NO to an “assault weapons” ban. Reach out to your legislators immediately in the form above and urge them to take action against this proposal.