Rhode Island Gun Laws

RIGL 11-47-52 prohibits carrying any firearm while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs. The prohibition applies to all persons regardless of permit status. The statute does not specify a blood alcohol concentration threshold. Violation is a felony with a prosecution limitation period under RIGL 11-47-53.

Rhode Island has a nationally unique dual-track concealed carry system. Local licensing authorities issue shall-issue permits under RIGL 11-47-11, while the Attorney General issues may-issue permits under RIGL 11-47-18. The two tracks differ in standards, scope, and legal interpretation, particularly after the Supreme Court's Bruen decision.

RIGL 11-47-11 establishes the local shall-issue track for concealed carry permits. Applicants must be 21 or older, submit a notarized application with three reference letters, provide photographs and fingerprints, and pass a firearms qualification test scoring 195 out of 300. The licensing authority shall issue the permit to suitable persons within 90 days.

RIGL 11-47-18 establishes the Attorney General's may-issue permit track. Unlike the shall-issue local track, the AG requires a "proper showing of need." The AG permit is the only permit that authorizes open carry in Rhode Island. Post-Bruen, the AG has maintained that this discretionary track remains constitutional because residents have access to the shall-issue local system.

Rhode Island does not honor concealed carry permits from any other state. Non-residents may transport firearms through the state under the transient provision of RIGL 11-47-8 and the federal Firearms Owners' Protection Act (FOPA). Non-residents may apply for a Rhode Island LCCW through the AG track under 11-47-18 or through a local department if they hold a valid out-of-state CCW.

Open carry of a handgun in Rhode Island is legal only with an Attorney General-issued permit under RIGL 11-47-18. A local LCCW under 11-47-11 does not authorize open carry. Section 11-47-51 prohibits carrying a loaded rifle or shotgun on public highways, roads, lanes, and trails (originating in 1959, broadened by 2022 amendments). Without any permit, open carry is limited to one's dwelling, place of business, or owned land.

Even with a valid LCCW, Rhode Island prohibits firearms in certain locations. These include schools and school grounds (RIGL 11-47-60), state and national parks, airports, and any location where the carrier is under the influence of alcohol or drugs (RIGL 11-47-52). Private property owners may also prohibit firearms on their premises.

Carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle in Rhode Island requires a valid LCCW. Without a permit, RIGL 11-47-10 allows transporting a firearm to and from a target range, competition, or other lawful activity, provided it is unloaded and secured. The 7-day waiting period and other purchase provisions do not affect vehicle transport rules.

RIGL Section 11-47-8(d) bans the possession, sale, and manufacture of bump stocks, binary triggers, trigger cranks, and any similar device designed to increase the rate of fire of a semi-automatic weapon. Rhode Island enacted this ban in 2018, predating the federal ATF rulemaking that was later struck down by the Supreme Court.

RIGL Section 11-47-8(e) establishes a complete ban on the possession, manufacture, and sale of ghost guns, undetectable firearms, and 3D-printed firearms. Ghost guns include any firearm without a serial number assigned by a licensed manufacturer. Undetectable firearms are those not detectable by metal detectors or airport security imaging. The only exception is for federally licensed manufacturers (FFL Type 07). Violations carry up to 10 years imprisonment and $10,000 in fines.

Rhode Island General Laws Chapter 11-47.1 (enacted 2022) prohibits the manufacture, sale, purchase, and possession of magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The grandfathering deadline for pre-owned magazines passed on December 18, 2022. Magazines retained under the grandfather window must have been permanently modified. Penalties include up to 5 years imprisonment and $5,000 in fines. Law enforcement officers are exempt.

RIGL Section 11-47-8(a) prohibits the manufacture, sale, purchase, and possession of machine guns except as otherwise provided. Section 11-47-19 provides for manufacturer licensing. Silencers are prohibited under § 11-47-20. Destructive devices (bombs, grenades, explosive ordnance) are prohibited under § 11-47-21 for civilian possession.

Chapter 281 of the Public Laws of 2025 (S 0359A) creates new RIGL Chapter 11-47.2, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, and transfer of "prohibited firearms" in Rhode Island. The law uses a characteristics-based definition with a one-feature test for semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines, and covers additional categories including semi-automatic shotguns, revolving-cylinder shotguns, fixed-magazine rifles and pistols exceeding capacity limits, and belt-fed semi-automatics. Possession is not prohibited. No mandatory registration. Violations carry up to 10 years imprisonment or $10,000 in fines, plus mandatory forfeiture.

Rhode Island General Laws Section 11-47-2 defines sawed-off rifles and sawed-off shotguns. A sawed-off shotgun is any shotgun with a barrel length under 18 inches or an overall length under 26 inches. A sawed-off rifle is any rifle with a barrel under 16 inches or an overall length under 26 inches. Possession, sale, and manufacture of these weapons is prohibited under the general weapons restrictions in Chapter 11-47.

RIGL Section 11-47-8.1 prohibits modifying any semi-automatic weapon to fire in fully automatic mode. This 2018 law targets the modification itself, not just the attachment of a specific device. An exception exists for replacement triggers designed to improve trigger pull quality, provided the replacement does not enable automatic fire. This is separate from the bump stock ban in § 11-47-8(d).

RIGL 11-47-64, effective January 1, 2023, requires ammunition purchasers to be 21 or older and present a DEM safety certificate or hunter education card. Exemptions exist for law enforcement, military, and LCCW holders. Violation is a felony punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Rhode Island requires handgun buyers to be 21 or older. Buyers must hold either a License to Carry a Concealed Weapon (LCCW) or a DEM-issued handgun safety certificate (Blue Card). A background check is conducted through the local police department or state police, followed by a mandatory 7-day waiting period. Rhode Island does not require firearm registration.

Rhode Island raised the minimum age for rifle and shotgun purchases to 21 in 2022. Purchases through FFLs require a federal 4473 form and NICS background check. RIGL 11-47-35.2 imposes a 7-day waiting period on all rifle and shotgun purchases. LCCW holders are exempt from the rifle/shotgun waiting period under § 11-47-35.2(c). There is no state registration requirement.

Rhode Island requires a background check for all private firearms sales, including both handguns and rifles/shotguns. Both § 11-47-35 (pistols/revolvers) and § 11-47-35.2 (rifles/shotguns) use "No person shall deliver" language, meaning the background check requirement applies to all sellers, not just licensed dealers.

RIGL 11-47-23 explicitly criminalizes providing false information in connection with the purchase or transfer of a firearm. RIGL 11-47-24 separately prohibits the alteration, removal, or obliteration of serial numbers or identifying marks on firearms.

Under RIGL 11-47-5(a)(1), a person convicted of a crime of violence is prohibited from possessing firearms. The prohibition is permanent unless relief is obtained through the District Court under RIGL 11-47-63. The penalty for unlawful possession is 2 to 10 years imprisonment.

RIGL 11-47-6 prohibits the sale or delivery of firearms to persons who are mentally incompetent or who are drug addicts. The prohibition extends to possession through the interaction of state and federal law.

RIGL 11-47-63 establishes a process for persons prohibited from possessing firearms to petition the District Court for restoration of their firearms rights. The petitioner must demonstrate rehabilitation and that restoring rights would not pose a threat to public safety.

Rhode Island prohibits firearms possession by several categories of persons. RIGL 11-47-5 covers those convicted of a crime of violence, fugitives, and persons who entered a nolo contendere plea to a felony under the domestic violence statutes. RIGL 11-47-6 prohibits mental incompetents and drug addicts. RIGL 11-47-7 restricts non-citizens. RIGL 11-47-33 governs minors.

Section 11-47-60 prohibits the possession of firearms on school grounds in Rhode Island. The prohibition applies to all persons, including those holding a License to Carry a Concealed Weapon. School officials who learn of a firearm on school property must notify law enforcement under Section 11-47-60.2.

Rhode Island expanded its safe storage law in 2024. Section 11-47-60.1 now imposes a standalone duty to store all firearms in a locked container or with a safety device, independent of whether a child accesses the weapon. Penalties escalate from a $250 civil fine for a first offense to a misdemeanor for a third or subsequent violation.

Section 11-47-60.3 requires all licensed firearms dealers to provide a trigger lock or other safety device with every firearm sold or transferred. The 2024 expansion extended this requirement from pistols and revolvers only to all firearms, including rifles and shotguns. Related signage requirements are found in Section 11-47-60.4.

Rhode Island is a duty-to-retreat state. Outside of the Castle Doctrine context, a person must attempt to retreat through a known safe avenue before resorting to deadly force in a public space. Rhode Island does not have a Stand Your Ground law.

Rhode Island codifies a Castle Doctrine through Section 11-8-8, which creates a rebuttable presumption that a person who uses force against someone committing a breaking and entering offense acted lawfully. The doctrine applies to any building, not just a dwelling. There is no duty to retreat within the structure.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court held in State v. Quarles (1986) that the Castle Doctrine does not apply when the attacker is a cohabitant. When both parties live in the same home, the duty to retreat applies. The defendant must attempt to retreat through a safe avenue before using deadly force against a fellow occupant.

Comprehensive overview of the penalty structure for firearms violations in Rhode Island, ranging from civil infractions for unsafe storage to felony sentences for carrying without a license, ghost gun manufacturing, assault weapons ban violations, and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Rhode Island imposes mandatory minimum sentences for several firearms offenses, including using a firearm during a crime of violence under Section 11-47-3. Ghost gun violations carry no probation eligibility for second or subsequent offenses. Sentencing enhancements apply when firearms are used in connection with violent crimes or drug offenses.

Rhode Island prohibits firearms possession by persons convicted of or pleading nolo contendere to any felony offense of domestic violence under RIGL 12-29-5, as well as specified domestic violence misdemeanors. Sections 11-47-5.3 and 11-47-5.4 establish mandatory surrender procedures and timelines for relinquishing firearms and ammunition.

Rhode Island's red flag law, codified in Title 8, Chapter 8.3, allows only law enforcement officers to petition the Superior Court for emergency orders to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who pose an imminent risk. The law provides for ex parte temporary orders, 14-day hearings, and full orders lasting up to one year. Approximately 30 or more cases are filed per year.

RIGL Section 11-47-5.5 provides a pathway for individuals convicted of qualifying domestic violence misdemeanors to petition the District Court for restoration of firearms rights. The process requires that all consecutive prohibitions have been completed, and it restores the right to possess firearms. It does not constitute an expungement of the underlying conviction.