Bill Analysis
S2314 reduces the first-offense penalty for possessing a large capacity magazine under Rhode Island’s existing ban, from a felony to a misdemeanor, while leaving the ban itself fully intact and maintaining felony penalties for subsequent offenses.
The Key Change
Section 11-47.1-3, which prohibits possession of large capacity feeding devices, currently makes any violation a felony carrying up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. S2314 makes the first offense a misdemeanor, reducing the maximum penalty to 2 years and a $1,000 fine. A second or subsequent offense remains a felony with the existing 5-year/$5,000 maximum, and the magazines remain subject to forfeiture on any offense.
What It Means for Gun Owners
The underlying ban on standard-capacity magazines remains completely unchanged. Rhode Islanders who lawfully owned magazines holding more than 10 rounds before Rhode Island’s ban are still subject to prosecution under S2314. The first-offense penalty is lower, but the prohibition is identical. The magazine ban itself remains the law, and S2314 does nothing to restore the gun rights it eliminated.
Penalties:
- First offense: misdemeanor, up to 2 years imprisonment, up to $1,000 fine, magazines forfeited
- Subsequent offenses: felony, up to 5 years imprisonment, up to $5,000 fine, magazines forfeited
Email and Petition
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