School shootings across the nation has led the Rhode Island Senate to pass legislation aimed at gun control, including a so-called red flag law that allows courts to disarm people who are considered a threat.

Sen. Dawn Euer, who represents Jamestown and Newport, co-sponsored the bill.

“I understand the need to change hearts and minds on important issues, but how many hearts are going to stop beating before we take meaningful action?” the Democrat said.

Legislation prohibiting rapid-fire modifications for semi-automatic weapons also was passed. These bills now head to the House. Rep. Deb Ruggiero, who represents Jamestown in the lower chamber, supports these measures.

The bill allows police to seek an “extreme risk protective order” from Superior Court that prohibits people from possessing firearms based on warning signs of violence. Ed Mello, Jamestown’s police chief, spearheaded the effort. He said the law already exists in principal, referring to a measure passed in October that disarms domestic abusers.

The Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture heard testimony Wednesday evening on the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), Senate Bill 2747, introduced by Senator Dawn Euer(Democrat, District 13, Newport, Jamestown).

The bill, said Euer, “is ambitious, but it’s also, I think, the next logical step for the General Assembly to take towards trying to reduce overall carbon emissions and address the causes of climate change.”

“I saw a different resolution for the Blackstone Valley community and my first question was, ‘Why isn’t Newport included?’” State Sen. Dawn Euer said. “We would want to invest in our community as well, so we're figuring out how Newport won’t get left behind when the state is making its investments.”

Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport), House Finance Committee Chairman Marvin L. Abney (D-Dist. 73, Newport, Middletown) and Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown) will join Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-Dist. 1, R.I.) Saturday on a tour of retail businesses in Newport.

The tour, arranged by the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, will begin Saturday, May 5, at 12:15 pm on Bannister’s Wharf, where the legislators will visit the Newport Mansions Store at 1 America’s Cup Ave. They will move to Bowen’s Wharf at12:30 p.m. where they will visit Anchor Toffee, Soap & Water, Sail Loft, Diego’s and Wharf Pub.

“I have been honored to serve the residents of Jamestown, Newport, and Rhode Island for the past eight months,” said Euer, who was sworn into office in August. “Working with every day Rhode Islanders to help resolve problems at the state level is the best part of this job. I know that when we work together we can make lasting and impactful change.”

Two female lawmakers stressed the importance of protecting women’s access to birth control on a state level in a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

Rep. Katherine Kazarian, D-East Providence, and Sen. Dawn Euer, D-Jamestown, introduced matching bills this session that would protect a woman’s access to birth control in Rhode Island, regardless of any changes at the federal level. The women took aim at the Trump administration and congressional Republicans, who have repeatedly tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Newport legislators Representative Lauren Carson (Democrat, District 75, Newport) and Senator Dawn Euer (Democrat, District 13, Newport, Jamestown) today decried President Donald Trump’s efforts to open up nearly all of the United States’ coasts to offshore drilling as a menace to Rhode Island’s environment and economy, and announced their own legislation designed to hinder efforts to drill of Rhode Island’s coast.

“As the Ocean State, Rhode Island has a robust blue sector economy including ship building, fishing, sailing, tourism and more. The state and our institutions have invested incredible resources on forward-thinking coastal policy initiatives. Opening up coastal waters to offshore drilling is short-sighted and puts our economy at great risk,” said Euer.

Democratic candidate Dawn Euer will carry on former Sen. M. Teresa Paiva Weed’s legacy in the State Senate District 13 seat after she won every polling location and garnered more than half of the votes during the Aug. 22 special election. Overall, 18 percent of all eligible voters in the district cast ballots, according to a polling spreadsheet the City of Newport provided to Newport This Week.

The seat, which represents Newport and Jamestown, became vacant in the spring when Paiva Weed (D), who was in office since 1993 and sat as senate president since 2009, resigned to lead the Hospital Association of Rhode Island.

Based on preliminary, unofficial results, Euer received 1,982 or 58.7 percent of the 3,375 votes cast, not including mail-in and emergency ballots. She was followed by Republican Michael Smith (1,295), Independent Kimberly Ripoli (73) and Green Party candidate Gregory Larson (17).

After the last results rolled in at around 8:15 p.m., Euer embraced her campaign manager, Erich Haslehurst, at the Elks Lodge as the song “Celebration” came over the speakers and the 40 people gathered began to cheer. After receiving hugs and congratulations from numerous friends and supporters, Euer thanked everyone, saying the campaign would not have been successful without them.

Dawn Euer easily outpaced her opponents in a four-person primary Tuesday and will represent the Democrats in the District 13 Senate general election next month.