2016 -- H 7525

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LC004720

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO WEAPONS

     Introduced By: Representatives MacBeth, McLaughlin, Morin, and Messier

     Date Introduced: February 10, 2016

     Referred To: House Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Chapter 11-47 of the General Laws entitled "Weapons" is hereby amended

by adding thereto the following section:

     11-47-60.4. Prohibition of knives on school grounds. -- (a) Discretion to administrators

and school committees to allow exceptions. No student of any school shall have in their

possession a knife of any length and of any description on school grounds; provided, a building or

district administrator or school committee shall have authority to exercise their discretion, and

authorize exceptions to this prohibition on an as-needed basis. In exercising this discretion, the

administrator or school committee may consider an academic, educational, or culinary purpose

for which a knife would be used, if allowed. For purposes of illustration only, a building or

district administrator, or school committee, may elect to authorize the use of a knife by a student

in school for:

     (1) Dissection or cutting in an academic class;

     (2) Instruction on the proper use of a knife in a culinary or life-skills class;

     (3) Vocational class instruction; or

     (4) For use by students in eating food during the school day. Provided, the above list is

not comprehensive.

     (b) This section shall not prohibit a student in a school who is also an apprentice from

possessing a knife on school grounds while the student is working with a tradesman or other

mentor, and the possession of the knife is pursuant to the student's apprenticeship.

     (c) As used herein:

     (1) "Knife" means and includes any instrument composed of a blade fixed into a handle,

used for cutting or stabbing, razors and cutting tools commonly known as box cutters are deemed

included within this definition. The term "knife" does not include one-piece plastic knives that are

commonly used for cutting and eating food.

     (2) "School grounds" has the same meaning as set forth in §11-47-60.

     (d) Any student who is in violation of the provisions of this section shall, upon

conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor, and be fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000)

or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO WEAPONS

***

     This act would provide that no student of any school would have in their possession a

knife of any length and of any description on school grounds. The act would also give a building

or district administrator, or a school committee, authority to exercise their discretion to make

exceptions to this prohibition for various academic and culinary purposes. The act would also

define what a knife is for purposes of this law, and provides that violations of the law constitute a

misdemeanor.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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