Bill Analysis
S2306 makes two changes to Rhode Island firearms law: it removes the prohibition on manufacturing, selling, and purchasing short-barrel rifles and shotguns, and it legalizes suppressor use for licensed hunters.
The Key Change
The bill amends § 11-47-20 to remove “manufacture, sell, purchase” from the list of prohibited acts involving silencers on short-barrel firearms, meaning those activities would no longer be criminal. It also creates § 20-13-19 allowing any individual in lawful possession of a suppressor to use it while hunting any licensed game, provided the host rifle or shotgun is otherwise lawful. Local municipalities are prohibited from mandating or restricting suppressor use in hunting.
What It Means for Gun Owners
Rhode Island hunters who legally own suppressors under federal law (NFA registered) could use them while hunting for the first time. Suppressors reduce hearing damage and reduce noise disturbance to neighbors of hunting properties. Rhode Island is one of the few states that prohibit suppressor hunting – S2306 would remove that restriction.
Email and Petition
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