Criminal Justice System

There are over 650 people imprisoned in Rhode Island who have not been convicted of a crime. Most of them simply cannot afford bail. Our system of bail punishes the poor and forces people into debt with bail bondsmen. This becomes a vicious cycle that keeps them where they are. Locking people up costs tax payers $120 per inmate per day - Rhode Island spends four times more on inmates than on schoolkids. This is a broken system that needs to be fixed.

Allow Concealed Carry

We should only have restrictions on gun laws that are enforceable. Our current restrictions on concealed carry means that law abiding citizens cannot carry guns while criminals do, because unless the police carry out random routine pat down searches, there is no way to enforce the conceal carry restrictions. Law-abiding citizens should be able to get a concealed carry permit after undergoing background check and completing an appropriate safety and liability course.

Assault Weapons

Assault rifles are defined by having features such as barrel shroud, detachable magazine, or pistol grip. A barrel shroud protects the shooter from the hot barrel after rapidly firing many rounds. Detachable magazine, as opposed to a fixed magazine where bullets must be loaded into the rifle individually, allow a higher rate of fire. A pistol grip allows for easy but inaccurate shooting from the hip. There is little practical application in our society for a weapon capable of spraying rounds inaccurately. The burden on society outweighs the gun collector's right to enjoy this type of firearm. This is the same reason why grenades and machine guns are illegal to own.