Rhode Island state lawmakers have approved legislation to outlaw the manufacture and sale of a range of semi-automatic rifles.

Democratic Governor Dan McKee posted he’s ready to sign the bill into law. McKee posted on Friday, “I’m proud that Rhode Island took an important step forward in protecting our communities from gun violence. I included an assault weapons ban in my budget for this very reason — and as a result, tonight we saw progress.”

The AP reported that Rhode Island would then join ten other states that have enacted some form of government control on semi-automatic firearms, commonly referred to as assault weapons.

Critics say banning a specific type of weapon does nothing to inhibit someone who is bent on violence. Republican Sen. Thomas Paolino said, “This bill doesn’t go after criminals, it just puts the burden on law-abiding citizens.”

Rhode Island House minority leader, Republican Rep. Michael Chippendale, offered the prediction that should the bill face a legal challenge, the U.S. Supreme Court would declare it to be unconstitutional. “We are throwing away money on this,” he said.

Chippendale may not be far off the mark. The Supreme Court released a unanimous decision on June 5 in a firearms case that may have signaled all of the justices were ready to decide that so-called "assault weapons" could be legally possessed by Americans when used for lawful purposes.

An important aspect of the Rhode Island bill is that it outlaws the sale and manufacture of the covered firearms, but not possession.

The AP reported that Elisabeth Ryan, policy counsel at Everytown for Gun Safety, did not agree that the bill fell short of being impactful. “The weakest law is what Rhode Island has now, no ban on assault weapons,” she said. “This would create a real, enforceable ban on the sale and manufacture of assault weapons, just like the law already working in Washington state, getting them off the shelves of Rhode Island gun stores once and for all.”

Governor McKee indicated in a follow-up post to his initial congratulatory message that he felt it was good legislation. “I thank the General Assembly and the many advocates for their tireless work, and I hope they’ll join me when I sign this bill into law.” He said it will have an impact. “I’m committed to working with our partners on common sense gun safety measures to keep our communities safe.”