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Every time a state pushes an “assault weapon” or magazine ban, lawmakers repeat the same line: “We’re not coming for your guns.” They say it only bans future sales. They promise current owners can keep what they legally bought. They call it “grandfathering.”
Until they don’t.
According to Washington Gun Law President William Kirk, that exact scenario is now playing out in Rhode Island with House Bill 8073. The state already passed an assault weapon ban a few years ago. But it only prohibited the manufacture, sale, transfer, or purchase of certain firearms. Possession was left untouched. That was the political sell.
Now?
Lawmakers are attempting to amend the existing statute by adding a single word: “possess.”
That’s it. One word.
The current law reads: “No person shall manufacture, sell, offer to sell, transfer, or purchase a prohibited firearm…”
HB 8073 would revise it to read: “No person shall manufacture, sell, offer to sell, transfer, possess, or purchase a prohibited firearm…”
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That one addition would eliminate the grandfather clause and instantly criminalize possession of firearms that were previously legal to own.
If passed, the bill would take effect July 1, with a compliance deadline of December 31, 2026. By then, affected gun owners would have to sell, transfer out of state, surrender, or destroy their lawfully acquired firearms.
The only exemptions? Military and law enforcement.
Kirk points out that this is exactly what many Second Amendment advocates warned about when the original ban passed. Grandfathering provisions are not permanent protections. They exist only until the next legislative session.
He also notes the timing. Just last year, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Ocean State Tactical v. Rhode Island, a case challenging the state’s gun restrictions. Critics warned that denial would embolden states to go further.
Now Rhode Island appears ready to do just that.
For gun owners in the Ocean State, the message is blunt: what was once sold as a limited commercial restriction may soon become a full possession ban. And for gun owners nationwide, it’s a reminder that when lawmakers say, “We’re not coming for your guns,” the fine print matters. Because sometimes all it takes is one word.
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Same concerns in VT. H.606, dubbed “The Omnibus Gun Control Bill”, was just announced and will be voted on in a week! Two of the five are redundant; one makes theft of any firearm “Grand Larceny” (Yea!); the last two (#4) will seek to regulate the rate of fire on semi-automatic weapons, and (#5) permit firearms industry members to be held liable for damages in public nuisance lawsuits.
Find “Gun Owners of Vermont” for more information.
rate of fire on semi auto weapons, sneaky bastards just banning them is what they are actually doing since you can’t control ones finger.
So… You currently are not allowed to manufacture, SELL, offer to SELL, transfer, or purchase a prohibited firearm. But will be required to SELL the prohibited firearm if this leftist gun grab passes. Got it.
ATF needs to enforce 2nd Amendment by explaining. We are not Iran, Taiwan, Mexico or any other Dictatorship, Religious Wacko Theocracy, or Authentarion, Commie Lou, Lou Land, where only the BAD GUYS hsve guns. Therefore any infringement on 2nd Amendment rights will be subject to massive civil fines to violators of 2nd Ammendment. Universal Background Checks by NICS is mandatory for transfer of firearms as an acceptable way to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of people who by past actions have forfetted their 2nd Ammendment Civil Right.
The right of the people to be armed if they choose to be armed is the only real self protection right set up for all time in our society to guard against individual attack or the vrry real danger of some political or organized army attempting to control the freedom and will of the entire society.
After our great President finishes with protecting America and the rest of the world from unstable regimes acquiring nuclear weapons he needs to jump headfirst into the fight for are rights before there are non left…
Run/Hide/Fight–Run to another state, hide your guns, or fight the government, but never register them. Socialists will always tell you that you can keep anything you want, your guns, your health insurance, your freedom, your life, etc. And they will let you keep those things right up until they don’t let you keep them. Registration is the lie they tell you so that you will tell them what you have. It makes confiscating them easier when later arrives. It was the same trick Hitler used with the Jews. At first, all the Nazis asked them to do was register as Jews. It made them a whole lot easier to round up and ship to the extermination camps later.
It would seem the state has lied about its true intentions, and the citizens involved should have the right to Sue. Of course, the very next step will be complete confiscation which of course is a guarantee by our second amendment. Hopefully at this point, the Supreme Court would step in and bitch slap these communist. The whole purpose of the second amendment was to make sure the government would be fearful of the people not the other way around.
Anti-Rights agents aren’t going to quit, so we can’t either.
The compliance rates with these so-called assault weapons bans have been dismal, even in Canada.
Civil disobedience is the best practice. If these lawmakers fear the People, maybe they should reconsider their priorities. Those who commit violence are the problems, not the tools they use. Common sense would greatly help this Country.
once they get a foot in the door all is needed is the stroke of a pen and wham no more guns! guess gun registration is going to play a major role in the roundup.