A Barrington resident and local lawmaker is co-sponsoring legislation aimed at reducing gun violence by prohibiting those sentenced for a hate crime from purchasing and possessing guns.

Representative Jennifer Boylan is partnering with Senator Mark McKenney to sponsor bills 2025-H 5652 and 2025-S 0530 which, if passed, would extend certain firearm prohibitions already in pace for individuals convicted of violent crimes to those who who have been sentenced or pled no contest to a hate crime. 

“Rhode Island law attempts to take the sensible precaution of removing guns from the hands of those likely to do harm with them, but these efforts are incomplete,” said Rep. Boylan (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence). 

“As hate crimes increase locally and nationally, we need to stay proactive by closing loopholes that allow dangerous individuals to own guns before we see a large-scale tragedy occur in our state.”

Rhode Island law already prohibits individuals with certain criminal convictions like assault and cyberstalking from purchasing, owning, carrying, transporting, or possessing firearms. This legislation would extend that prohibition to those who have been sentenced or pled no contest for a crime with a hate crime sentencing enhancement. Rhode Island would join 25 states, including Massachusetts and Connecticut, that have adopted similar legislation.

A hate crime is any criminal act in which the perpetrator intentionally targets a victim because of a person’s actual or perceived disability, religion, color, race, national origin or ancestry, gender or sexual orientation. Under Rhode Island law, a hate crime is not a separate criminal charge but is rather a sentencing enhancement to an existing offense.