Compliance Guides
Step-by-step guides to help you navigate Rhode Island firearms compliance.
First-Time Buyer
2New Gun Owner's Guide to Rhode Island Law
A step-by-step guide for first-time firearms buyers in Rhode Island, covering the handgun safety certification (Blue Card), background check process, seven-day waiting period for handguns, and safe storage obligations. This guide walks new owners through every stage of their first legal purchase.
Private Sales and Firearms Transfer Procedures
Rhode Island requires background checks for all private sales and transfers of handguns under RIGL 11-47-35. The process involves filing an application with the local police chief or state police, a seven-day waiting period, and a background check. This guide explains the step-by-step process, limited exemptions, how long gun transfers differ, and the penalties for non-compliance.
Compliance Guides
10Ammunition Purchase Requirements in Rhode Island
Rhode Island requires ammunition buyers to be 21 or older and to present a DEM Blue Card or hunter education card under RIGL 11-47-64. There is no ammunition background check. This guide explains the real requirement, the exemptions, and the federal age rules.
AWB Compliance Guide: What You Need to Know Before July 2026
Rhode Island's assault weapons ban (S 0359A, P.L. 2025, ch. 281, RIGL Chapter 11-47.2) takes effect July 1, 2026. This guide explains the characteristics-based definition that determines which firearms are prohibited, the continued possession provisions for existing owners, and what compliance steps should be taken before the effective date.
Domestic Violence and Firearms: Surrender Process Guide
Rhode Island requires persons subject to domestic violence protection orders or convicted of domestic violence offenses to surrender all firearms and ammunition within 24 hours. This guide covers the federal Lautenberg Amendment, Rhode Island's state-level provisions under RIGL 8-8.1 and 11-47-5.3, the practical surrender process, storage options, the return process after an order expires, and the intersection with Extreme Risk Protection Orders.
How to Restore Your Firearms Rights After Disqualification
Rhode Island provides a statutory pathway for certain disqualified persons to petition the Relief from Disqualifiers Board for restoration of firearms rights under RIGL 11-47-63. This guide explains eligibility, the petition process, waiting periods, Board factors, appeals, and federal limits.
Moving to Rhode Island: A New Resident's Firearms Guide
Relocating to Rhode Island with firearms? What to check on magazines and prohibited items before the move, the Blue Card required to buy a handgun, hunter safety reciprocity, and the rules for carrying once you arrive.
Prohibited Persons: Who Cannot Own Firearms in Rhode Island
Rhode Island law prohibits several categories of persons from possessing firearms, including convicted felons, domestic violence offenders, persons adjudicated mentally incompetent, substance abusers, minors, and individuals subject to restraining orders. This guide covers each category under RIGL 11-47-5, 11-47-6, and 11-47-33, as well as overlapping federal prohibitions under 18 U.S.C. 922(g).
Red Flag Laws: Understanding Rhode Island ERPOs
Rhode Island's Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) statute, codified in RIGL Title 8, Chapter 8.3, allows law enforcement to petition the Superior Court for temporary removal of firearms from individuals who pose an imminent risk. This guide explains who can petition, the ex parte process, full hearings, duration of orders, firearms surrender and storage procedures, and the rights of respondents.
Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban: How the Feature Test Applies to Rifles, Pistols, and Shotguns
Rhode Island's assault weapons ban defines covered firearms by characteristics, not by name. The one-feature test applies to rifles; pistols are covered only by a fixed magazine over 10 rounds. This guide walks through the enacted statute by firearm type and clears up the pistol feature test that circulates online but is not the law.
Safe Storage Requirements Guide
A practical guide to Rhode Island's safe storage requirements, including the original provisions under RIGL 11-47-60.1 and the 2024 expansion. Covers specific scenarios, acceptable storage methods, and the heightened obligations when minors are present in the household.
Understanding Rhode Island Firearms Penalties
Rhode Island firearms penalties range from civil infractions (safe storage violations) to serious felonies carrying mandatory minimum sentences (felon in possession). This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the penalty structure across the most common firearms offenses, including carrying without a permit, felon in possession, mandatory minimums, sentencing enhancements, safe storage violations, and the upcoming assault weapons ban penalties.
Transport and Travel
2Non-Resident Guide to Rhode Island Firearms Laws
A comprehensive guide for non-residents who bring firearms into Rhode Island, covering the transport exemption under RIGL 11-47-10, the lack of reciprocity, the Attorney General LCCW track available to non-residents under RIGL 11-47-18, FOPA protections for interstate travel, prohibited places that apply to all persons, and practical steps for lawful transport.
Traveling Between RI, MA, and CT with Firearms
Rhode Island does not have concealed carry reciprocity with Massachusetts or Connecticut. This guide covers the legal requirements for transporting firearms across these state lines, the protections offered by the federal Firearms Owners' Protection Act (FOPA), and the specific rules each state imposes on non-residents.
Self-Defense Guides
1Concealed Carry Guides
2Concealed Carry Guide: Navigating the Dual-Track System
Rhode Island has a unique dual-track concealed carry system. Applicants may apply for an LCCW through their local police chief or city/town council (shall-issue for residents) or through the Attorney General (may-issue). This guide provides a comprehensive comparison of both paths, including eligibility, process, and practical considerations.
Prohibited Places: Where You Cannot Carry Firearms in Rhode Island
A practical guide to locations where firearms are prohibited in Rhode Island, including school grounds under RIGL 11-47-60, state and federal buildings, courthouses, bars and restaurants serving alcohol, and private property with posted restrictions. Covers the intoxication prohibition under RIGL 11-47-52, the limited exemptions for LCCW holders, and how federal prohibited places interact with state law.