Issue Position: Gun Violence

Issue Position

After 20 first graders were murdered in the tragedy at Newtown, Sam felt heartbroken. He knew he had to do something to protect Rhode Islanders from gun violence. When he talked to people about the NRA's power in our statehouse, the conversation always came back to one thing: all of money that the NRA was funneling to top Democrats in our state. So he launched an investigation into where the NRA's funds came from, uncovering an illegal scheme to funnel national money into our state. As a result of his investigation, the NRA's Rhode Island PAC had to shut down until they paid a $63,000 fine, and the flow of illegal money stopped.
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After Sam got the NRA's illegal funding scheme shut down, Rhode Island was finally able to pass some much-needed gun control, specifically a bill taking guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Sam was proud to volunteer on that campaign, along with so many incredible activists from around our state. But we need to do more. Sam supports banning military-style assault weapons, strengthening our mental health background checks system, and banning guns from schools and bars.

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