GunsRhode Island bill would require gun owners to register their weapons

A proposed bill in Rhode Island would require gun owners to register their weapons with local or state police, and would also allow police to file copies of applications for gun purchases sent to them for background checks.

Rhode Island residents do not need a license or registration to purchase a gun. In order to purchase a shotgun or rifle, one only needs to be eighteen years of age, pass a background check, and wait seven days.

The Portsmouth Dispatch reports that to purchase a handgun, one needs to be 21, complete a basic pistol/revolver training course offered by the Department of Environmental Management, submit an application, pass a background check, and wait the seven day period.

A license is only needed for those who want to carry a concealed pistol or revolver.

The point of the bill is to allow police better to track weapons in their communities. Representative Linda Finn (D) introduced the legislation (2013-H 5573).

“It’s surprising that Rhode Island doesn’t already do this,” Finn told the Portsmouth Dispatch. “Our current law requires background checks, a seven-day waiting period and applications for anyone who wants to buy a gun, but actually requires police to destroy the record of the application afterward.”

Finn’s bill would also include a provision that all guns sold in Rhode Island have a safety mechanism either built into the gun or separately installed, in order to prevent an accidental shooting or a shooting by someone who is not supposed to have the gun. 

With privacy in mind, the bill does not allow the information that police gather to be shared with anyone except law enforcement agencies for legitimate law enforcement purposes.

Currently Rhode Island requires law enforcement to destroy an application once the background check is complete and anyone found using the information can be fined up to $1,000.

“We don’t let people drive a car or a boat or even attach a trailer to their vehicle without registering it, but we don’t require any kind of registration for guns,” Finn told the Dispatch.

Finn said she is looking forward to discussing the bill in committee, and wants to hear from advocates on all sides of the issue to help amend the bill in ways that will make it work best for the state.