H8073: Rhode Island Moves Toward Confiscation of Legally Owned Firearms

For years Rhode Island anti-gun politicians repeated the same line.

“We are not trying to take your guns.”

House Bill H8073 (link to read the bill) shows exactly how empty that promise was.

What This Bill Does

The 2025 law banned future sales of certain firearms.

H8073 makes possession of those same firearms illegal.

Sell it, move it out of state, or become a felon.

Introduced on February 27, 2026 and now sitting in the House Judiciary Committee, the bill expands the 2025 gun ban and targets firearms that Rhode Islanders already legally own.

The Key Change

The 2025 law restricted the manufacture, sale, transfer, and purchase of firearms the state labeled as “prohibited firearms.” During that debate legislators removed the confiscation provision and allowed firearms that were owned before the law went into effect to remain legal through so-called grandfathering.

Now it’s back.

H8073 adds one word to the law: “possession.“

The statute would now prohibit anyone from manufacturing, selling, transferring, possessing, or purchasing a prohibited firearm.

That single change turns a ban on future sales into a ban on ownership.

Rhode Islanders who legally purchased these firearms could now become felons for simply keeping their justly acquired private property.

Forced Disposal

The bill gives current owners a short window to get rid of their firearms.

Anyone who already possesses one would have until December 31, 2026 to:

• sell it to a federally licensed dealer, or
• transfer it to someone outside Rhode Island who can legally possess it

After that deadline, possession becomes a felony.

In plain terms the state is ordering citizens to sell their property, move it out of state, or become a criminal.

That is de facto confiscation.

Criminal Penalties

What could not pass last year as confiscation is now being pushed through by redefining possession as a crime.

Violating this law carries serious consequences.

Someone convicted under the statute could face:

• up to 10 years in prison
• fines up to $10,000
• permanent forfeiture of the firearm

That means a Rhode Island resident who followed every law when purchasing their firearm could still be arrested, prosecuted, and ultimately thrown into a cage for refusing to give it up.

Gun owners were told their firearms would be grandfathered. Now the same lawmakers are trying to turn those owners into felons.

What Happens Next

House Bill H8073 is currently before the House Judiciary Committee, which will decide whether the bill advances.

This stage of the process is where show up and apply public pressure.

Take Action (What you can do now)

Contact members of the House Judiciary Committee and tell them to oppose H8073.

Concerned citizens should:

• Call committee members
• Send emails expressing their opposition
• Share this information with other Rhode Islanders

House Judiciary Committee Members

Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee [D] — (401) 222-4435 — [email protected]

Rep. Jason Knight [D] — (401) 222-4435 — [email protected]

Rep. Matthew S. Dawson [D] — (401) 222-1725 — [email protected]

Rep. Edith H. Ajello [D] — (401) 222-2296 — [email protected]

Rep. Jose F. Batista [D] — (401) 222-1224 — [email protected]

Rep. David A. Bennett [D] — (401) 222-2369 — [email protected]

Rep. Justine A. Caldwell [D] — (401) 222-4263 — [email protected]

Rep. Julie A. Casimiro [D] — (401) 222-4263 — [email protected]

Rep. Arthur J. Corvese [D] — (401) 222-1591 — [email protected]

Rep. Robert E. Craven Sr. [D] — (401) 222-2258 — [email protected]

Rep. Cherie L. Cruz [D] — (401) 222-2447 — [email protected]

Rep. Leonela Felix [D] — (401) 222-2447 — [email protected]

Rep. Marie A. Hopkins [R] — (401) 222-2259 — [email protected]

Rep. Thomas E. Noret [D] — (401) 222-4435 — [email protected]

Rep. David J. Place [R] — (401) 222-2259 — [email protected]