Rhode Island’s Democratic-controlled state House has advanced legislation that would ban sales of certain semiautomatic rifles.

Minutes into the earlier Senate debate, Democratic Sen. Pamela Lauria attempted to reinstate the language banning possession and use of prohibited firearms, contained in the House-passed version of the bill, but the Senate voted 25-12 to uphold Senate President Valarie Lawson's ruling that the move violated Senate rules.

The legislation now goes to the House, which passed a different version of the bill that would also ban the possession of assault-style weapons.