In a recent interview with the Globe, Raimondo said she would probably pursue the same bills that she and Attorney General Peter Neronha sought last legislative session, including bans on “military-style’’ assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and guns on school grounds.

PROVIDENCE – Governor Gina Raimondo said she again intends to ask Rhode Island lawmakers to approve a package of gun control bills during the upcoming legislative session, a proposal that will likely put her at odds with the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate.

The proposals will put the term-limited governor on a collision course with members of her own party, as House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio have resisted supporting most gun control measures in recent years.


“I don’t know how you stand for election and flout the will of the people on this issue,” Raimondo said. A 2018 poll from WPRI-TV and Roger Williams University found 60 percent of Rhode Island voters favored a ban on the sale or possession of semi-automatic rifles.

In separate December interviews, Mattiello and Ruggerio didn’t offer signs that they’ve had a change of heart on the bills Raimondo is backing.

Mattiello, who represents a conservative district in western Cranston that strongly supported President Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016, said it’s a misnomer that the gun control bills are overwhelmingly supported by residents in the state.

“If there weren’t two solid sides, then things would be easy,” Mattiello said. “There are people that care on both sides of the issue.”

Without citing a specific bill, Mattiello questioned whether the gun control measures that Raimondo is seeking would increase safety in Rhode Island, which already ranks among the safest states in the country when it comes to firearm-related deaths.

“Perhaps if you really give it thought and dig deep, maybe you’re trying to get at a laudable goal, but your approach may not be accomplishing that,” Mattiello said. “So if you’re not going to be accomplishing your laudable goal, how do you go to people and say ‘I’m taking away your rights?’”


Ruggerio, who along with Mattiello has repeatedly garnered an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, said the Senate Judiciary Committee will again hold hearings on Raimondo’s proposals, but he declined to say whether they’ll come up for a vote.

He said the General Assembly has taken action on gun-related bills in recent years, pointing to the 2018 passage of the “red flag” law, which allows law enforcement to ask the courts to remove a person’s access to guns under an Extreme Risk Protection Order if they are deemed to be troubled or potentially violent. A bill approved in 2017 also takes guns away from people under domestic restraining orders.

Ruggerio said he’s believes the House will consider banning 3D-printed firearms – known as “ghost guns” – in 2020, a bill that was approved by the Senate last year. The do-it-yourself weapons are made of parts fabricated with a three-dimensional printer, often in polymer plastic, nylon, or metal. They have no serial numbers, making them untraceable.

Aside from signing the “red flag” bill into law, Raimondo also issued an executive order in 2018 banning guns in schools unless they are being carried by a member of law enforcement. Rhode Island is one of the few states in the country that allows people to carry concealed weapons on school grounds.


But when she asked the General Assembly to codify the executive order last year, lawmakers balked.

“The legislature refuses to take action to keep kids, teachers, and parents safe,” Raimondo said.

If members of the House and Senate don’t act on gun control bills this year, Raimondo has indicated that she will consider targeting them during their elections in 2020. She has more than $600,000 in her campaign account but is ineligible to run for reelection in 2022 after serving two terms in office.

Mattiello, who already has a frosty relationship with Raimondo, wasn’t pleased with Raimondo’s pledge to get involved in legislative races.

“Threatening people is probably not a good way to collaborate,” he said.

Ed Fitzpatrick of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @danmcgowan.