Over 200 supporters attended the Campaign for Gun Violence Prevention RI (CGVPRI) press conference at the RI State House yesterday to demand votes for five common-sense gun safety bills that have been “held for futher study” for years.
Diana Garlington, RICAGV Board Member and Moms Demand Action volunteer whose daughter Esscence was shot and killed in November 2011, spoke with urgency about the need to pass sensible reforms to protect our children and our communities. “When our children die, we die too,” she said. “Enough is enough.”
After the press conference, gun safety advocates rallied at the House and Senate chambers, chanting “Time for a Vote.”
Majority Support in Both Chambers
Although they did not speak at the press conference, House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio — issued a joint statement, saying, “We are committed to passing meaningful gun reform legislation this session. We have been working on this issue with the sponsors and committee chairs for several months.”
Other leaders were more specific:
Governor Dan McKee: “It is time to limit high capacity magazines. It is time to ban assault weapons. It is time raise the age to 21. Send those bills to my desk. I will sign those bills proudly.”
Attorney General Peter Neronha on his support of all five CGVPRI bills: “They will make Rhode Islanders safer.”
Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, and General Treasurer Seth Magaziner voiced strong support of the CGVPRI reform bills.
We would like to thank all of the lawmakers, organizations, and supporters who are advocating for sensible gun safety reform, particularly the lead sponsors of the CGVPRI bills:
- Senate Judiciary Chair Cindy Coyne, lead sponsor of high capacity magazine ban, co-sponsor on assault weapon regulation, safe firearm storage, and raising the age to 21 to buy long guns reform bills.
- Senator Josh Miller, lead sponsor of the bill to regulate assault weapons, and co-sponsor of the high capacity magazine ban, safe firearm storage, and raising the age to 21 to buy long guns reform bills.
- Senator Maryellen Goodwin, lead sponsor of the bill to raise the age to 21 to buy long guns, and co-sponsor of the high capacity magazine ban, assault weapon regulation, safe firearm storage, and prohibiting long guns in public reform bills.
- Senator Jim Seveney, lead sponsor of the safe firearm storage bill, and the high capacity magazine ban reform bill.
- Senate Majority Leader Mike McCaffrey, lead sponsor of the bill to prohibit long guns in public.
- Rep. Justine Caldwell, lead sponsor of the high capacity magazine ban, assault weapon regulation, and safe firearm storage bills, as well as a co-sponsor of the bill to prohibit long guns in public.
- Rep. Leonela Felix, lead sponsor of the bill to prohibit long guns in public, and co-sponsor of the high capacity magazine ban, regulation of assault weapons, and raising the age to 21 to buy long guns.
- Rep. Teresa Tanzi, lead sponsor of the bill to raise the age from 18 to 21 to buy long guns.
