2018 -- H 7075 SUBSTITUTE A AS AMENDED

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- WEAPONS

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Craven, McEntee, Knight, Carson, and Shekarchi

     Date Introduced: January 10, 2018

     Referred To: House Judiciary

     

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 11-47-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-47 entitled "Weapons"

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is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     11-47-2. Definitions.

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     When used in this chapter, the following words and phrases are construed as follows:

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      (1) "Antique firearm" is defined as that term is defined under the provisions of 18 U.S.C.

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§ 921.

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     (2) "Bump fire stock" means any device which replaces a semi-automatic weapon's

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standard stock and is designed to slide back and forth rapidly, harnessing the weapon's recoil to

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rapidly fire the weapon.

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     (3) "Binary trigger" means a device which replaces a standard trigger on a semi-

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automatic weapon and is designed to fire one round on the pull of the trigger and another round

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upon release of the trigger.

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      (2)(4) "Crime of violence" means and includes any of the following crimes or an attempt

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to commit any of them: murder, manslaughter, rape, first or second degree sexual assault, first or

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second degree child molestation, kidnapping, first and second degree arson, mayhem, robbery,

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burglary, breaking and entering, any felony violation involving the illegal manufacture, sale, or

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delivery of a controlled substance, or possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a

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controlled substance classified in schedule I or schedule II of § 21-28-2.08, any violation of § 21-

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28-4.01.1 or 21-28-4.01.2 or conspiracy to commit any violation of these statutes, assault with a

 

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dangerous weapon, assault or battery involving grave bodily injury, and/or assault with intent to

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commit any offense punishable as a felony; upon any conviction of an offense punishable as a

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felony offense under § 12-29-5.

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      (3)(5) "Firearm" includes any machine gun, pistol, rifle, air rifle, air pistol, "blank gun,"

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"BB gun," or other instrument from which steel or metal projectiles are propelled, or which may

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readily be converted to expel a projectile, except crossbows, recurve, compound, or longbows,

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and except instruments propelling projectiles which are designed or normally used for a primary

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purpose other than as a weapon. The frame or receiver of the weapon shall be construed as a

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firearm under the provisions of this section.

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      (4)(6) "Fugitive from justice" means any person who has fled from any state, territory,

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the District of Columbia, or possession of the United States to avoid prosecution for a crime of

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violence or to avoid giving testimony in any criminal proceeding.

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      (5)(7) "Licensing authorities" means the board of police commissioners of a city or town

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where the board has been instituted, the chief of police or superintendent of police of other cities

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and towns having a regular organized police force, and, in towns where there is no chief of police

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or superintendent of police, it means the town clerk who may issue licenses upon the

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recommendation of the town sergeant, and it also means any other person or body duly authorized

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by the city or town charter or by state law.

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      (6)(8) "Machine gun" means any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be

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readily restored to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single

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function of the trigger. The term also includes the frame or receiver of the weapon, any

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combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun,

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and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if the parts are in the

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possession or under the control of a person.

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      (7)(9) "Person" includes an individual, partnership, firm, association, or corporation.

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      (8)(10) "Pistol" includes any pistol or revolver, and any shotgun, rifle, or similar weapon

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with overall length less than twenty-six inches (26"), but does not include any pistol or revolver

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designed for the use of blank cartridges only.

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     (9)(11) "Sawed-off rifle" means any rifle with overall length of less than twenty-six

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inches (26") and/or barrel length of less than sixteen inches (16").

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      (10)(12) "Sawed-off shotgun" means any shotgun with overall length of less than

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twenty-six inches (26") and/or barrel length of less than eighteen inches (18").

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      (11)(13) "Sell" includes let or hire, give, lend, and transfer, and "purchase" includes hire,

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accept, and borrow, and "purchasing" shall be construed accordingly.

 

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     (14) "Trigger crank" means a trigger actuator that attaches to the trigger of a semi-

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automatic weapon and causes the weapon to fire by turning the crank handle.

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     SECTION 2. Chapter 11-47 of the General Laws entitled "Weapons" is hereby amended

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by adding thereto the following section:

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     11-47-8.1. Modification of semi-automatic weapon.

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     (a) It shall be unlawful for any person within this state to modify any semi-automatic

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weapon such that it can shoot, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot full

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automatic fire with a single pull or hold of the trigger. The possession of such a modified semi-

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automatic weapon shall be evidence of guilty knowledge by the person having possession that the

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semi-automatic weapon was modified. Every person violating the provisions of this subsection

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shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than ten

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(10) years, or by a fine up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or both, and, except for a first

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conviction under this section, shall not be afforded the provisions of suspension or deferment of

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sentence, nor a probation.

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     (b) This section shall not apply to the purchase of any such device by the Rhode Island

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state police, by any city or town police department of the state of Rhode Island, or by the

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department of environmental management for display as a part of a firearms training course under

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its auspices.

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     (c) Weapons otherwise considered legal which are found modified by devices pursuant to

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this section shall be subject to forfeiture pursuant to § 11-47-22.

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     (d) This section shall not be construed to prohibit use of a replacement trigger or trigger

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components designed and intended to decrease the weight of the trigger pull or to improve the

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quality and release of the trigger pull in a semi-automatic weapon.

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     SECTION 3. Section 11-47-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-47 entitled "Weapons"

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is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     11-47-8. License or permit required for carrying pistol -- Possession of machine gun.

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     (a) No person shall, without a license or permit issued as provided in §§ 11-47-11, 11-47-

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12 and 11-47-18, carry a pistol or revolver in any vehicle or conveyance or on or about his or her

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person whether visible or concealed, except in his or her dwelling house or place of business or

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on land possessed by him or her or as provided in §§ 11-47-9 and 11-47-10. The provisions of

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these sections shall not apply to any person who is the holder of a valid license or permit issued

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by the licensing authority of another state, or territory of the United States, or political

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subdivision of the state or territory, allowing him or her to carry a pistol or revolver in any

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vehicle or conveyance or on or about his or her person whether visible or concealed, provided the

 

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person is merely transporting the firearm through the state in a vehicle or other conveyance

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without any intent on the part of the person to detain him or herself or remain within the state of

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Rhode Island. No person shall manufacture, sell, purchase, or possess a machine gun except as

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otherwise provided in this chapter. Every person violating the provision of this section shall, upon

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conviction, be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten (10) years, or by

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a fine up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or both, and except for a first conviction under this

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section shall not be afforded the provisions of suspension or deferment of sentence, nor a

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probation.

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     (b) No person shall have in his or her possession or under his or her control any sawed-

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off shotgun or sawed-off rifle as defined in § 11-47-2. Any person convicted of violating this

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subsection shall be punished by imprisonment for up to ten (10) years, or by a fine of up to five

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thousand dollars ($5,000), or both.

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     (c) No person shall have in his or her possession or under his or her control any firearm

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while the person delivers, possesses with intent to deliver, or manufactures a controlled

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substance. Any person convicted of violating this subsection shall be punished by imprisonment

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for not less than two (2) years nor more than twenty (20) years, and the sentence shall be

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consecutive to any sentence the person may receive for the delivery, possession with intent to

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deliver, or the manufacture of the controlled substance. It shall not be a defense to a violation of

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this subsection that a person has a license or permit to carry or possess a firearm.

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     (d) It shall be unlawful for any person to possess a bump fire device, binary trigger,

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trigger crank or any other device that when attached to a semi-automatic weapon allows full

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automatic fire. Individuals who possess these items shall have ninety (90) days from the

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enactment of this section to either sell, destroy or otherwise remove these items from the state of

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Rhode Island. Every person violating the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be

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punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten (10) years, or by a fine up to

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ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or both, and, except for a first conviction under this section, shall

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not be afforded the provisions of suspension or deferment of sentence, nor a probation.

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     SECTION 4. This act shall take effect ninety days after passage of the act.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- WEAPONS

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     This act would make possession of bump stocks, binary triggers or trigger cranks

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punishable by up to ten (10) years imprisonment and/or up to a ten thousand dollar ($10,000)

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fine, and would make it unlawful and apply the same penalties for any person within this state to

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modify any semi-automatic weapon to shoot full automatic fire with a single pull or hold of the

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trigger.

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     This act would take effect ninety days after the passage of the act.

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