A controversial piece of gun control legislation has been maneuvered its way through the Rhode Island Senate.
The state Senate Judiciary Committee defeated a bill on a 6-6 tie Tuesday that banned high-capacity magazines, which represented a short-lived victory for Second Amendment rights advocates.
Senate leaders sent the House version of the same bill directly to the full chamber floor, and it was cleared to the governor's desk from there.
The limited-ammunition bill also generated the most debate when it was considered in the RI House of Representatives last Friday.
Existing owners of magazines which can hold more than ten rounds would have six months to get rid of them if the bill becomes law.
The Senate also passed proposals to raise the legal firearm-purchasing age to 21 and to prohibit open-carry of loaded rifles and shotguns.
“People under the age of 21 are already prohibited from buying handguns in Rhode Island, but an 18-year-old — someone who might even still be in high school — can buy rifles and shotguns, including the powerful weapons that are often used in mass shootings. It is well-settled science that teenage and post-teenage brains are still developing. It’s common sense that we shouldn’t be selling lethal weapons to people who we’ve decided are not old enough to buy cigarettes or beer,” said Senate Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin (D-Dist. 1, Providence).
The Governor has already said he would sign the measures and that could happen by the end of the week.