Press Releases
07/05/2023
Attorney General Tong Defends Rhode Island's Restrictions on Large-Capacity Magazines
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 18 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief defending Rhode Island’s restrictions on large-capacity firearm magazines.
The coalition filed the brief in Ocean State Tactical, LLC, et al. v. State of Rhode Island, a lawsuit seeking to overturn a 2022 Rhode Island law restricting magazines to a maximum of 10 rounds of ammunition. A federal district court correctly refused to block the law, and now the plaintiffs – Rhode Island gun shop owners – are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to step in.
In the brief filed last week, the coalition encourages the appellate court to affirm the lower court’s decision, arguing that the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment permits states to enact reasonable restrictions on the size of firearm magazines. Those laws protect public safety, prevent crime, and reduce the harm caused by gun violence.
“Several states, including Connecticut, have enacted similar laws banning large-capacity magazines. Despite what the radical gun lobby and others may claim, nothing in the Constitution prohibits states from taking common sense steps like this to prevent gun violence, and the vast majority of the public demands it because it saves lives,” said Attorney General Tong.
The amicus brief was led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and joined by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
Click here to read the full brief.
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