To the editor:

Thank you to the Bristol Town Council for adopting the 2022 Proclamation Declaring the First Friday in June to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day at their June 1 meeting. This makes two years in a row that the Town Council has recognized the seriousness of gun violence in America.

In last week’s Phoenix, the East Bay Life section includes numerous sources of information about reducing gun violence in Rhode Island. Scott Pickering’s article, “The long fight for new gun laws,” Arlene Violet’s commentary, “Not another moment of silence,” and the R.I. Coalition Against Gun Violence’s, “Statement on Uvalde massacre,” make clear the challenges and solutions that we need to take now.

Every day, more than 110 Americans are killed with guns. It has been proven that the stronger a state’s gun safety laws, the fewer people die by gun violence.

Currently, in Rhode Island, there are five important gun sense laws being held up in our State House’s Judiciary Committees.

1. House Bill 7457; Senate Bill 2637 – Raise the age to 21 to purchase long guns and ammunition.

2. House Bill 6615; Senate Bill 2224 – Ban the sale and possession of assault-style weapons. People who already own assault weapons will need to register them within the next year.

3. House Bill 6614; Senate Bill 2653 – Limit magazine capacity to ten rounds;

4. House Bill 7358; Senate Bill 2825 – Would make it unlawful to carry a loaded gun in public.

5. House Bill 7300; Senate Bill 2734 – Would make it a violation for the owner of any firearm to store or leave the firearm unsecured, and be subject to a fine not more than $3,000 and a felony charge if an injury or death of a child occurs due to not securing a weapon.

Three of these bills will be voted on in the House of Representatives on June 9, while the companion bills will be voted on in the Senate on June 13. The bills are H7457/S2637; H6614/S2653; H7358/S2825. Please contact your local legislators to vote YES for these important gun sense bills.

Mass shootings are occurring in the U.S. at an alarming rate, affecting schools, churches, grocery stores, shopping malls, hospitals. We all want to cover our ears and look away as if it’s someone else’s problem, until it becomes ours. The time to act is now.

Susan Morettini
46 Highland Road
Susan is a member of R.I. Moms Demand Action & Be Smart Lead