On an eight-to-one vote, the Rhode Island Ethics Commission said Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone — who holds a federal firearms license — can debate and vote on a proposed ban on new sales of assault-style weapons.
Ciccone (D-Providence) was first elected to the Senate in 2002. He sought an ethics advisory opinion after becoming majority leader, the number two post in the chamber, last month.
Lynne Radiches, a staff attorney for the Ethics Commission, said that Ciccone is covered by a class exception since he is one of 99 holders of a federal firearms license in Rhode Island.
“It is therefore the opinion of staff that the specific facts of this case justify the application of the class exception and that the petitioner is not prohibited by the code of ethics from participating in Senate discussions and voting on the proposed legislation.”
However, if Ciccone’s participation veers into affecting a smaller class of license holders or impacts him individually or differently from other FFL holders, she said, he should recuse from participation or seek further guidance from the Ethics Commission.
Radiches said Ciccone, who was not present for the Ethics Commission meeting, reported getting “little if any income from firearm sales and that it has never been his primary source of income.”
Ciccone, 77, is a former president of the Rhode Island Laborers’ District Council.
The lone no vote was made by Christopher Callahan, former Rhode Island National Guard adjutant general, who said that Ciccone’s post as majority leader gives him more influence than typical senators.
The proposed ban on new sales of assault-style weapons faces an uncertain outlook in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where a vote is expected in the next few weeks.
If the bill clears the Judiciary Committee, it is seen as being likely to pass on the Senate floor.
Supporters of the ban say it will reduce the likelihood of a mass shooting in Rhode Island. Opponents say the legislation goes too far and will negatively affect law-abiding gun owners while not influencing the behavior of criminals.
