Senator Valarie Lawson Elected Rhode Island Senate President; Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Urge Follow-Through on S 359 to Keep Assault Weapons Out of Rhode Island Communities

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – With the election of Senate President Valarie Lawson as the new Rhode Island Senate President, volunteers with the Rhode Island chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action issued the following statements to congratulate Lawson on her new leadership role. Gun safety advocates now call on Senate President Lawson to follow through on her commitment to keep Rhode Island communities safe from gun violence and pass S 359, legislation to prohibit the purchase of assault weapons.

“The election of Senator Lawson to be our new Rhode Island Senate President is great news for the safety of Rhode Islanders and we now call on the Senate President to secure her legacy as a champion for public safety by prioritizing gun violence prevention in this new role,”said Tony Morettini, a volunteer with the Rhode Island chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our communities can’t wait another year for a lifesaving measure to be enacted and get assault weapons out of civilian hands. We need to prevent tragedy before it happens, not wait and respond after lives are taken.” 

“As someone growing up having to fear a school shooting everyday, I know that weapons of war – which are the weapon of choice for mass shooters – have no place in our communities. I’m grateful that Senate President Valarie Lawson is a primary sponsor of the bill to keep assault weapons out of Rhode Island communities, and I’m urging her to follow through on this commitment now that she is the new Senate President,” said Elijah Pelton, a volunteer leader with the Johnson & Wales University Students Demand Action chapter. “My peers and I are counting on Senate President Valarie Lawson and our entire Rhode Island legislature to take action so that we don’t have to fear these deadly weapons.” 

Senate President Valarie Lawson is a primary sponsor of S 359, a measure that would get assault weapons, which are weapons of war like the AR-15, off of Rhode Island streets. Assault weapons are a class of especially lethal firearms that have military-style features and are the most common weapons used in the deadliest mass shootings, including at least nine out of the 10 mass shooting incidents with the most casualties between 2015 and 2022. Volunteers with the Moms Demand Action chapter in Rhode Island have been urging lawmakers to enact a measure to keep assault weapons out of Rhode Island communities since 2018. 

Rhode Island is not yet a national leader on gun safety according to the Everytown Gun Law Rankings, ranking 13th in the country and below that of its neighboring states. Gun violence costs Rhode Island $752.1 million each year, of which $15.8 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Rhode Island is available here.