PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A proposal to take guns away from domestic abusers and people under domestic restraining orders is moving forward in the General Assembly.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 13-5 on Wednesday to pass the legislation on to the full House.
The vote mostly fell on partisan lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans against. An exception was the judiciary committee’s chairman, Rep. Cale Keable, a Burrillville Democrat who voted against it.
The legislation would require anyone convicted of a crime of domestic violence, including misdemeanors, and anyone subject to a domestic abuse protective order to surrender any firearms he has and prohibit him from acquiring more.
Domestic violence prevention advocates have said momentum has been building for passage of the bill this month after several years of debate. Tweaks have been made to address lawmakers’ concerns.
Guns rights groups have opposed the bill, saying it’s too broad and doesn’t leave judges with enough discretion to decide whether someone on a restraining order should be disarmed. Both sides crowded the State House ahead of the committee’s Wednesday evening vote.
The legislation has a powerful ally in Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, who said he is traditionally supportive of gun rights advocates but disagrees with them on this one.
“I support the Second Amendment,” Mattiello said Tuesday. “That’s the framework I come from. So these are not intended to be anti-gun bills. These are domestic violence protection bills.”
He said he has talked to police officers concerned about the safety of people in fear of an abuser who is on a restraining order but still has access to guns.
A similar measure is pending in the state Senate.
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