2020 -- S 2004 SUBSTITUTE B | |
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LC003405/SUB B/3 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - WEAPONS | |
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Introduced By: Senators Coyne, Ruggerio, Lynch Prata, Goodwin, and McCaffrey | |
Date Introduced: January 08, 2020 | |
Referred To: Senate Judiciary | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 11-47-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-47 entitled "Weapons" is |
2 | hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 11-47-2. Definitions. |
4 | When used in this chapter, the following words and phrases are construed as follows: |
5 | (1) "3D printing process" means 3D printing or additive manufacturing which is a process |
6 | of making three (3) dimensional solid objects from a computer file and shall include any of various |
7 | processes in which material is joined or solidified under computer control to create a three (3) |
8 | dimensional object, with material being added together including liquid molecules, or powder |
9 | grains. |
10 | (1)(2) "Antique firearm" is defined as that term is defined under the provisions of 18 U.S.C. |
11 | § 921. |
12 | (2)(3) "Binary trigger" means a device that replaces a standard trigger on a semi-automatic |
13 | weapon and is designed to fire one round on the pull of the trigger and another round upon release |
14 | of the trigger. |
15 | (3)(4) "Bump-fire stock" means any device that replaces a semi-automatic weapon's |
16 | standard stock and is designed to slide back and forth rapidly, harnessing the weapon's recoil to |
17 | rapidly fire the weapon. |
18 | (4)(5) "Crime of violence" means and includes any of the following crimes or an attempt |
19 | to commit any of them: murder, manslaughter, rape, first- or second-degree sexual assault, first- or |
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1 | second-degree child molestation, kidnapping, first- and second-degree arson, mayhem, robbery, |
2 | burglary, breaking and entering, any felony violation involving the illegal manufacture, sale, or |
3 | delivery of a controlled substance, or possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a |
4 | controlled substance classified in schedule I or schedule II of § 21-28-2.08, any violation of § 21- |
5 | 28-4.01.1 or § 21-28-4.01.2 or conspiracy to commit any violation of these statutes, assault with a |
6 | dangerous weapon, assault or battery involving grave bodily injury, or assault with intent to commit |
7 | any offense punishable as a felony; upon any conviction of an offense punishable as a felony |
8 | offense under § 12-29-5. |
9 | (5)(6) "Firearm" includes any machine gun, pistol, rifle, air rifle, air pistol, "blank gun", |
10 | "BB gun", or other instrument from which steel or metal projectiles are propelled, or that may |
11 | readily be converted to expel a projectile, except crossbows, recurve, compound, or longbows, and |
12 | except instruments propelling projectiles that are designed or normally used for a primary purpose |
13 | other than as a weapon. The frame or receiver of the weapon shall be construed as a firearm under |
14 | the provisions of this section. |
15 | (6)(7) "Fugitive from justice" means any person who has fled from any state, territory, the |
16 | District of Columbia, or possession of the United States to avoid prosecution for a crime of violence |
17 | or to avoid giving testimony in any criminal proceeding. |
18 | (8) "Ghost gun" means a firearm, including a frame or receiver, that lacks a unique serial |
19 | number engraved or cased in metal alloy on the frame or receiver by a licensed manufacturer, maker |
20 | or importer under federal law or markings in accordance with 27 C.F.R. § 479.102. It does not |
21 | include a firearm that has been rendered permanently inoperable, or a firearm that is not required |
22 | to have a serial number in accordance with the Federal Gun Control Act of 1968. |
23 | (7)(9) "Licensing authorities" means the board of police commissioners of a city or town |
24 | where the board has been instituted, the chief of police or superintendent of police of other cities |
25 | and towns having a regular organized police force, and, in towns where there is no chief of police |
26 | or superintendent of police, it means the town clerk who may issue licenses upon the |
27 | recommendation of the town sergeant, and it also means any other person or body duly authorized |
28 | by the city or town charter or by state law. |
29 | (8)(10) "Machine gun" means any weapon that shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be |
30 | readily restored to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single |
31 | function of the trigger. The term also includes the frame or receiver of the weapon, any combination |
32 | of parts designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any |
33 | combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if the parts are in the possession |
34 | or under the control of a person. |
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1 | (11) "Major component" means, with respect to a firearm: |
2 | (i) The slide or cylinder or the frame or receiver of the firearm; and |
3 | (ii) In the case of a rifle or shotgun, includes the barrel of the firearm. |
4 | (9)(12) "Person" includes an individual, partnership, firm, association, or corporation. |
5 | (10)(13) "Pistol" includes any pistol or revolver, and any shotgun, rifle, or similar weapon |
6 | with overall length less than twenty-six inches (26"), but does not include any pistol or revolver |
7 | designed for the use of blank cartridges only. |
8 | (11)(14) "Sawed-off rifle" means any rifle with overall length of less than twenty-six inches |
9 | (26") or barrel length of less than sixteen inches (16"). |
10 | (12)(15) "Sawed-off shotgun" means any shotgun with overall length of less than twenty- |
11 | six inches (26") or barrel length of less than eighteen inches (18"). |
12 | (13)(16) "Sell" includes let or hire, give, lend, and transfer, and "purchase" includes hire, |
13 | accept, and borrow, and "purchasing" shall be construed accordingly. |
14 | (14)(17) "Trigger crank" means a trigger actuator that attaches to the trigger of a semi- |
15 | automatic weapon and causes the weapon to fire by turning the crank handle. |
16 | (18) "Undetectable firearm" means any firearm that: |
17 | (i) After removal of all parts, other than a major component, is not as detectable by walk- |
18 | through metal detectors commonly used at airports or other public buildings; or |
19 | (ii) Any major component of which, if subjected to inspection by the types of detection |
20 | devices commonly used at airports or other public buildings for security screening, would not |
21 | generate an image that accurately depicts the shape of the component; or |
22 | (iii) Is manufactured wholly of plastic, fiberglass, or through a 3D printing process; or |
23 | (iv) Upon which the frame or receiver lacks a unique serial number engraved or cased into |
24 | on the frame or receiver by a licensed manufacturer, maker or importer under federal law, or |
25 | markings in accordance with 27 C.F.R. § 479.102. Provided, however, this subsection shall not |
26 | apply to any firearm rendered permanently inoperable or a firearm manufactured prior to 1968. |
27 | SECTION 2. Section 11-47-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-47 entitled "Weapons" is |
28 | hereby amended to read as follows: |
29 | 11-47-8. License or permit required for carrying pistol -- Possession of machine gun. |
30 | License or permit required for carrying pistol -- Other weapons prohibited. |
31 | (a) No person shall, without a license or permit issued as provided in §§ 11-47-11, 11-47- |
32 | 12, and 11-47-18, carry a pistol or revolver in any vehicle or conveyance or on or about his or her |
33 | person whether visible or concealed, except in his or her dwelling house or place of business or on |
34 | land possessed by him or her or as provided in §§ 11-47-9 and 11-47-10. The provisions of these |
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1 | sections shall not apply to any person who is the holder of a valid license or permit issued by the |
2 | licensing authority of another state, or territory of the United States, or political subdivision of the |
3 | state or territory, allowing him or her to carry a pistol or revolver in any vehicle or conveyance or |
4 | on or about his or her person whether visible or concealed, provided the person is merely |
5 | transporting the firearm through the state in a vehicle or other conveyance without any intent on |
6 | the part of the person to detain him or herself or remain within the state of Rhode Island. No person |
7 | shall manufacture, sell, purchase, or possess a machine gun except as otherwise provided in this |
8 | chapter. Every person violating the provision of this section shall, upon conviction, be punished by |
9 | imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten (10) years, or by a fine up to ten thousand |
10 | dollars ($10,000), or both, and except for a first conviction under this section, shall not be afforded |
11 | the provisions of suspension or deferment of sentence, nor a probation. |
12 | (b) No person shall have in his or her possession or under his or her control any sawed-off |
13 | shotgun or sawed-off rifle as defined in § 11-47-2. Any person convicted of violating this |
14 | subsection shall be punished by imprisonment for up to ten (10) years, or by a fine of up to five |
15 | thousand dollars ($5,000), or both. |
16 | (c) No person shall have in his or her possession or under his or her control any firearm |
17 | while the person delivers, possesses with intent to deliver, or manufactures a controlled substance. |
18 | Any person convicted of violating this subsection shall be punished by imprisonment for not less |
19 | than two (2) years nor more than twenty (20) years, and the sentence shall be consecutive to any |
20 | sentence the person may receive for the delivery, possession with intent to deliver, or the |
21 | manufacture of the controlled substance. It shall not be a defense to a violation of this subsection |
22 | that a person has a license or permit to carry or possess a firearm. |
23 | (d) It shall be unlawful for any person to possess a bump-fire device, binary trigger, trigger |
24 | crank, or any other device that when attached to a semi-automatic weapon allows full-automatic |
25 | fire. Individuals who possess these items shall have ninety (90) days from the enactment of this |
26 | section to either sell, destroy, or otherwise remove these items from the state of Rhode Island. Every |
27 | person violating the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment |
28 | for not less than one nor more than ten (10) years, or by a fine up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000), |
29 | or both, and, except for a first conviction under this section, shall not be afforded the provisions of |
30 | suspension or deferment of sentence, nor a probation. |
31 | (e) No person shall manufacture, sell, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, possess, or have |
32 | under his or her control a ghost gun or an undetectable firearm or any firearm produced by a 3D |
33 | printing process. Any person convicted of violating this subsection shall be punished by |
34 | imprisonment of not more than ten (10) years, or by a fine up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or |
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1 | both and except for a first conviction under this section shall not be afforded the provisions of |
2 | suspension or deferment of sentence, probation, nor fine. These provisions shall not apply to |
3 | federally licensed manufacturers (FLN) pursuant to Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives |
4 | (ATF) regulations. |
5 | SECTION 3. Severability. If any provisions of the act or the application thereof to any |
6 | person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect any other provisions or |
7 | applications of this act, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and |
8 | to this end the provisions of this act are declared to be severable. |
9 | SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage and its provisions shall be enforceable |
10 | ninety (90) thirty (30) days after passage. |
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LC003405/SUB B/3 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - WEAPONS | |
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1 | This act would provide certain definitions relative to undetectable firearms and would |
2 | prohibit the manufacturing, importation, sale, shipment, delivery, possession, or transfer of any |
3 | ghost gun or firearm that is undetectable by metal detectors commonly used at airports and public |
4 | buildings including 3D printed firearms as defined herein. |
5 | This act would take effect upon passage and its provisions would be enforceable ninety |
6 | (90) thirty (30) days after passage. |
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LC003405/SUB B/3 | |
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