House passes secure gun storage bills

By CHRISTOPHER SHEA Rhode Island Current

After an hour of debate, the Rhode Island House of Representatives voted Tuesday in favor of two bills aimed at establishing new rules for how firearms must be stored.

The Democratic-led House voted 46-24 to pass a bill from Rep. Justine Caldwell, a Democrat from East Greenwich, and identical legislation sponsored by Sen. Pamela Lauria, a Democrat from Barrington, requiring that all firearms not in use by the owner or other authorized user be stored in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-proof lock.

“This is a bill whose time has come,” House Judiciary Chairman Robert Craven, a North Kingstown Democrat, said when introducing the bill. “I think this solves a problem that has led to deaths.”

The bill now goes to the Senate for a vote. Senate spokesman Greg Paré said both bills would likely come up for a floor vote on Tuesday, June 4.

Under the law, unsafe storage of firearms would be a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $250 for the first offense and $1,000 for the second. A subsequent violation would be a criminal charge punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $500.

Under an existing state law passed in 1995, gun owners convicted of “criminal storage of a firearm” can be fined up to $1,000 if a weapon loaded firearm left within the reach of a child 16 years of age or younger causes injury to the child or others.

Both bills would also revise existing law to increase the severity of the charge of criminal storage of a firearm to a first-degree charge, making it punishable by up to five years jail time and up to $5,000 in fines in cases where a child or person prohibited from using the firearm is injured.

“Leaving a deadly weapon where anyone else can use it is an invitation to tragedy,” Caldwell said in a statement. “Ensuring that all guns are stored so that they are not in hands that should not touch them not only protects the public in general, but also gun owners and their families in particular.

Both bills also require school districts to educate students and their families about the importance of proper storage and gun safety. Additionally, firearms dealers would be required to display a sign with a warning stating that “access to a firearm in the home significantly increases the risk of suicide, death in domestic violence disputes, and unintentional death.” children, household members or other people.

Caldwell's bill was amended before the floor vote to clarify who would be subject to the law.

Penalties for failing to store a firearm would not apply if the weapon is carried or “can be easily retrieved and used,” according to the legislation.

Lauria's bill, which passed the Senate in March, has also since been amended to include this change.

The legislation has the support of all five state general officers, including Gov. Dan McKee and Attorney General Peter Neronha. But Second Amendment supporters oppose strengthening the state's safe storage law and have repeatedly argued that requiring guns to be stored in a locked container could delay the gun owner's efforts. a weapon to protect himself and his family.

“This bill makes gun ownership virtually useless in terms of defense,” said House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale, a Foster Republican. “Those seconds will make a big difference when I'm trying to defend my family and I can't access my safe, find my safe key, or forget the password because I'm under pressure because 'There's a maniac trying to kill my children,' he said.

Rep. Patricia Morgan, a West Warwick Republican, called the legislation “another attack on gun ownership.” She also took aim at messages used by gun safety advocates.

“When it comes to mental health and suicide, you're just putting it in this legislation to make it look good,” Morgan said.

That prompted some groans from lawmakers and the audience in the gallery.

“It’s just astonishing that someone would dare to stand up on this floor and say that,” said Rep. Teresa Tanzi, a Democrat from South Kingstown.

On average, 51 Rhode Islanders are killed by guns and 165 people are injured each year, reports Everytown for Gun Safety. This represents a rate of 4.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. More than 60% of these deaths are self-inflicted.

Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, a Democrat from South Kingstown, assured opponents of the bill “we will not take away your guns.”

“We tell you to lock them up,” she said. “You can live with that.”

Gun safety advocates, many of whom gathered in the House gallery in their orange and red t-shirts, applauded the House's passage of the bill.

“Ultimately, safe gun storage practices are an effective step we can take to keep guns out of the hands of children and save the lives of children, teens and adults,” said Melissa Carden , executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence, in a statement. .

Amy Herlihy, a Rhode Island volunteer with Moms Demand Action, said the transition takes time.

“We must do everything we can to prevent gun violence,” she said in an interview. “Every child should be able to grow up in a neighborhood where they are safe and able to do things that all children can do. »

Editor's Note: Christopher Shea covers politics, criminal justice and transportation for the Rhode Island Current. Rhode Island Current is part of States Newsroom, the nation's largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.