New Gun Owner's Guide to Rhode Island Law

Purchasing your first firearm in Rhode Island requires compliance with several state requirements. This guide covers the process from start to finish, whether you are buying a handgun or a long gun.

Step 1: Safety Certification

If you plan to purchase a handgun, you must present a pistol/revolver safety certificate (the Blue Card) issued by the Department of Environmental Management with your application, unless an exemption applies, and persons licensed under Section 11-47-11 are exempt^[1]. The certificate comes from a basic safety course of at least two hours administered by the department, or from a passing grade on the objective test the department prepares for people who believe they do not need the course. The department prepares the test and an instruction manual on which it is based. Long gun purchases (rifles and shotguns) do not require a Blue Card or safety course.

Step 2: Background Check

A purchase from a licensed dealer involves two checks, subject to the exceptions in 27 CFR 478.102(d) and the exemptions in RIGL 11-47-35, 11-47-35.1 and 11-47-35.2^[2]. The dealer contacts NICS before the transfer and records the transaction and the NICS response on ATF Form 4473, and separately forwards the state application to the chief of police of the city or town where the buyer resides, or to the Rhode Island State Police if the buyer resides in Exeter or out of state. That police authority conducts the state records check under RIGL 11-47-35 and 11-47-35.2. Private sales of handguns also require the purchase application and police background check unless the sale or purchaser is exempt under RIGL 11-47-35 or 11-47-35.1.

Step 3: Waiting Period

Rhode Island imposes a seven-day waiting period on handgun deliveries under RIGL 11-47-35, with the exemptions in that section and in Section 11-47-35.1^[3]. The seven days run from twelve o'clock noon of the day following the day of application. RIGL 11-47-35.2 imposes the same 7-day waiting period on rifles and shotguns. Holders of an LCCW issued under § 11-47-11 are exempt from the purchase-application provisions of both statutes, including the seven-day waiting period, under § 11-47-35.1 (handguns) and § 11-47-35.2(c) (rifles and shotguns). Under RIGL 11-47-35, after seven days from noon of the day following the application, if the police authority has sent no disqualifying information, the seller delivers the firearm to the purchaser.

Step 4: Safe Storage

Rhode Island law requires that firearms be stored securely unless they are being carried by, or can be readily carried by, a lawfully authorized user who is in proximity to them (RIGL 11-47-60.1(b)). If you store or leave a firearm on premises under your control and know or reasonably should know that a child under 18 is likely to gain access to it without permission of the child's parent or guardian, you commit criminal storage of a firearm in the second degree if the child obtains access, unless an exception in RIGL 11-47-60.1(e) applies, under RIGL 11-47-60.1 as amended effective June 13, 2024. Unless the carry or proximity exception applies, firearms must be secured in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device properly engaged to render the firearm inoperable by anyone other than the owner or another lawfully authorized user. Criminal storage of a firearm in the second degree is punishable by imprisonment for no more than one year, or a fine of not more than $1,000, or both. Unsafe storage under RIGL 11-47-60.1(b) is a civil infraction with a fine of not more than $250 for a first offense and not more than $1,000 for a second offense, and a third or subsequent violation is punishable by imprisonment for no more than six months, or a fine of not more than $500, or both.

Additional Considerations

Rhode Island does not require a permit to purchase rifles or shotguns. There is no state firearms registry. Open carry of a handgun in public requires a permit that covers non-concealed carry, which in practice means the Attorney General permit under § 11-47-18, issued to carry "whether concealed or not." The municipal license under § 11-47-11 authorizes concealed carry only. Without a license or permit, you may carry a pistol or revolver, visible or concealed, only in your dwelling house or place of business or on land you possess, or as provided in Sections 11-47-9 and 11-47-10, under § 11-47-8(a), which also exempts a holder of another state's carry license or permit who is merely transporting the firearm through the state without intent to remain in Rhode Island. Rhode Island has state preemption of firearms regulation under § 11-47-58. Control of firearms, ammunition, or their component parts regarding their ownership, possession, transportation, carrying, transfer, sale, purchase, purchase delay, licensing, registration, and taxation rests solely with the state "except as otherwise provided in this chapter," and the chapter assigns cities and towns limited roles, such as issuing carry licenses under § 11-47-11. For concealed carry, you must obtain an LCCW through either your city or town licensing authority under § 11-47-11 or the Attorney General under § 11-47-18.