North Kingstown council hears hours of public comment and debate on proposed resolution opposing state assault-weapons bill

North Kingstown — The Town Council heard more than an hour of public comment and extended council debate Monday on a proposed resolution opposing House Bill 5436, the Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2025, but did not record a final vote on the measure.

The resolution, introduced on the floor by Councilor Hillis, would formally urge the Rhode Island General Assembly and the governor to reconsider proposed 2025 gun-control legislation and describes the bills (including House Bill 5436 and Senate Bill 359) as broadly written and constitutionally problematic. “I was asked to bring about a resolution to make North Kingstown a second amendment sanctuary town to protect the lawful gun owners of North Kingstown against the badly written bill H 5436,” Councilor Hillis said while reading the resolution text into the record.

Why it matters: supporters called the town-level resolution a symbolic defense of law-abiding gun owners and urged local officials to register opposition; opponents said the town council has no authority to change state law and that the debate should be handled at the State House. The discussion drew a mix of residents, local advocates and elected officials and briefly disrupted the council’s agenda; the motion to adopt the resolution was made but a second was not recorded in the transcript and no final council vote appears in the record.

Public testimony split sharply. Mike Barner (144 Matola Drive) told the council he “strongly support[s] the resolution before you, opposing house bill 54 36, the Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2025,” arguing the measure would “infringe on constitutional rights of law abiding citizens.” Nadine Swanson (540 School Street) said “the second amendment isn't negotiable” and urged the council to adopt the resolution. Douglas Sheehan, a registered nurse and licensed mental health counselor who works in town, said he supported the resolution and urged the town to prioritize school security: “right now, that's where we should be focusing first is protecting the schools.”

Other residents urged the opposite. Kathleen Guarino, introduced herself as a mother and grandmother and urged the council to oppose the town resolution and instead support statewide measures: “I speak on behalf of and in support of the families who have lost their children or other family members and who will carry this trauma and terrible loss with them for the rest of their lives,” she said, stating her support for House Bill 5436 and Senate Bill 359. Kathleen Layton, chapter lead of Rhode Island Moms Demand Action, told the council that “guns are the leading cause of death for children” and urged passage of a statewide ban. Several speakers said the issue should be decided by state legislators rather than the town council.

Council discussion reflected the split in public testimony and procedural questions about the council’s role. Council President Mancini said he believed “this proposed resolution fails a test in every regard” and warned it would divide the community and accomplish little because state legislators, not the town council, decide state law. Councilor Matt McCoy said the council represents a diverse population and that state legislators and the governor are responsible for legislation: “The citizens of North Kingstown have elected officials to represent them and their concerns in the Rhode Island General Assembly,” he said. Councilor Linnea (identified in the record as Dr. Paige in some comments) spoke of long-term fear about school shootings and said she had “the strongest possible opposition to this resolution.”

Procedure and outcome: Councilor Hillis moved to adopt the resolution and read its text into the record; the transcript records attempts to find a seconder and a five-minute recess but does not record a final recorded second or a roll-call vote on the resolution. The town manager and council members later resumed the meeting and moved on to other agenda items, including the fiscal 2026 budget; the resolution’s final status was not recorded in the provided transcript.

Legal references and scope: the resolution text cited the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment, Article 1, Section 22 of the Rhode Island Constitution, and Rhode Island General Law 11-47-41 (which the resolution quotes as prohibiting government firearm registration). The resolution and much public testimony described House Bill 5436 and Senate Bill 359 as the “Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2025.” The council acknowledged that even if adopted locally, a town resolution would be symbolic and not a substitute for state-level action.

Context and next steps: speakers and several council members urged residents to contact state legislators — named in the meeting record as state senators Alana DiMario and Bridget Valverde and state representatives Julie Casimiro and Robert Craven — to express views about the bills. The transcript indicates other Rhode Island towns (Burrillville, Exeter, Foster, Glocester, Hopkinton, Lincoln, North Providence, Tiverton and West Greenwich) had adopted similar resolutions, a fact included in the resolution text presented to the council.

The meeting record shows substantial public engagement and sharp disagreement among residents. Because no final vote is recorded in the transcript, the resolution’s adoption remained unresolved at the close of the provided record.