Rhode Island Gun Laws

RIGL 11-47-52 makes it unlawful to carry or transport any firearm in Rhode Island when intoxicated or under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic 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 with a bona fide residence or place of business in the city or town, or a bona fide residence in the United States and a permit from another state, and must present the qualification certificate under RIGL 11-47-15 (195 out of 300). The license bears the licensee's fingerprint, photograph, name, address, description and signature. The licensing authority shall issue the permit to suitable persons who meet the statutory criteria. The statute sets no processing deadline.

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 Attorney General's office describes the 11-47-18 permit as a concealed or open carry permit, and the 11-47-11 license as a license to carry a concealed pistol or revolver. On July 19, 2022, the Attorney General shared guidance advising that the state's dual concealed carry permitting scheme is constitutional and unimpacted by the Supreme Court's decision in Bruen.

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 age 21 or older may apply through the Attorney General under RIGL 11-47-18, or through a local licensing authority under RIGL 11-47-11 if they have a place of business in that city or town or a bona fide U.S. residence and a valid out-of-state concealed carry permit.

Open carry of a handgun in public in Rhode Island requires a license or permit under RIGL 11-47-8(a), and the Attorney General's office describes its permit under RIGL 11-47-18 as a concealed or open carry permit. A local LCCW under 11-47-11 does not authorize open carry. Section 11-47-51 makes it unlawful to have a loaded rifle or loaded shotgun upon or along any public highway, road, lane or trail, with listed exceptions (enacted by P.L. 1959, ch. 75, amended by P.L. 2022, ch. 133 and ch. 134, and most recently amended by P.L. 2025, ch. 165 and ch. 166). Without a license or permit, 11-47-8(a) allows carrying a pistol or revolver only in the person's dwelling house or place of business or on land possessed by the person, or as provided in RIGL 11-47-9 and 11-47-10.

Even with a valid LCCW, Rhode Island prohibits firearms on school grounds (RIGL 11-47-60) and bars carrying or transporting a firearm when intoxicated or under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic drugs (RIGL 11-47-52). These include school grounds (RIGL 11-47-60), federal facilities under 18 U.S.C. 930, and any situation where the carrier is intoxicated or under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic drugs (RIGL 11-47-52). Private property owners may also prohibit firearms on their premises.

Carrying a pistol or revolver in a vehicle in Rhode Island requires a license or permit under RIGL 11-47-8(a), outside the exceptions that section, 11-47-9 and 11-47-10 provide. Without a permit, RIGL 11-47-10 allows carrying a pistol or revolver from one's home or place of business to a bona fide target practice range and back, for a shoot meet or practice, if it is broken down, unloaded and carried as openly as circumstances permit, or unloaded and secured in a separate container suitable for the purpose. For purchases subject to RIGL 11-47-35 or 11-47-35.2, delivery must wait until seven days have elapsed from noon on the day after application, subject to the statutory exemptions. For deliveries subject to RIGL 11-47-35 or 11-47-35.2, the firearm must be unloaded and securely wrapped, with the bill of sale enclosed.

RIGL Section 11-47-8(d) makes it unlawful to possess a bump-fire device, binary trigger, trigger crank, or any other device that, when attached to a semi-automatic weapon, allows full-automatic fire. Rhode Island added this ban by P.L. 2018, ch. 5 and ch. 8.

RIGL Section 11-47-8(e) provides that no person shall manufacture, sell, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, possess, or have under his or her control a ghost gun or an undetectable firearm or any firearm produced by a 3D printing process. Ghost guns include any firearm, including a frame or receiver, that lacks a unique serial number engraved or cased in metal alloy on the frame or receiver by a licensed manufacturer, maker, or importer under federal law or markings in accordance with 27 C.F.R. § 479.102, with the exclusions in RIGL 11-47-2. Undetectable firearms, as RIGL 11-47-2 defines them, include any firearm that, after removal of all parts other than a major component, is not as detectable by walk-through metal detectors commonly used at airports or other public buildings, and any firearm with a major component that would not generate an image that accurately depicts the shape of the component on the detection devices commonly used at airports or other public buildings for security screening. The definition also covers a firearm manufactured wholly of plastic, fiberglass, or through a 3D printing process, and a firearm whose frame or receiver lacks a unique serial number. Subsection (e) does not apply to federally licensed manufacturers (FFL Type 07), and under RIGL 11-47-9 the provisions of Section 11-47-8 do not apply to sheriffs, members of the state police and of city or town police forces, other duly appointed law enforcement officers, and the other persons that section lists. Violations carry imprisonment of not more than ten years, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

Rhode Island General Laws Chapter 11-47.1 (enacted 2022) prohibits any person other than a federally licensed firearm dealer from manufacturing, selling, purchasing, or possessing a magazine or other feeding device capable of holding, or readily extendable to hold, more than 10 rounds of ammunition to be fed continuously and directly into a semi-automatic firearm. The 180-day period for magazines lawfully possessed on June 20, 2022 ran from that date. To retain a device under RIGL 11-47.1-3(b)(1), the possessor had to permanently modify it within those 180 days so that it could not hold more than ten rounds. Penalties are imprisonment of not more than 5 years or a fine of up to $5,000, and the device is subject to forfeiture. Law enforcement officers exempt under RIGL 11-47-9 and 11-47-9.1 and qualifying retired officers are exempt, as are active duty members of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard who are authorized to possess and carry such a device.

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. RIGL 11-47-21 makes it unlawful, with listed exceptions, to possess or carry a bomb or bombshell except for blasting or other commercial use, or to possess or carry any explosive substance or noxious liquid, gas or substance with intent to use it unlawfully.

Chapter 281 of the Public Laws of 2025 (S 0359A) creates new RIGL Chapter 11-47.2, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, offer to sell, purchase, and transfer of "prohibited firearms" in Rhode Island except as authorized under the chapter. 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 imprisonment of not more than ten years, or a fine of up to $10,000, and the prohibited firearm is subject to 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 or control of these weapons is prohibited under RIGL 11-47-8(b).

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 June 21, 2022, prohibits selling ammunition to any person unless the person is 21 or older and, after December 31, 2022, holds a valid pistol/revolver safety certificate or Rhode Island hunter education course 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, except persons exempt under RIGL 11-47-37.1, such as full-time police officers. Buyers must present a DEM handgun safety certificate (Blue Card) or proof of passing the DEM basic hunter safety course, unless exempt, for example as a person licensed under RIGL 11-47-11. A background check is conducted through the local police department or state police, and the seller may not deliver the handgun until seven days have elapsed from 12:00 noon of the day following the day of application. Rhode Island does not require firearm registration.

Rhode Island requires a buyer of a rifle or shotgun to be 21 or older under RIGL 11-47-35.2. 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 the purchase application and police background check for private sales of pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns, with the exemptions in 11-47-35, 11-47-35.1 and 11-47-35.2. 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 makes it unlawful to give false information or offer false evidence of identity in purchasing or otherwise securing delivery of a firearm, or in applying for a license or permit to carry. RIGL 11-47-24 separately prohibits changing, altering, removing or obliterating the name of the maker, model or manufacturer's number on a firearm, or any other mark of identification where those are absent.

RIGL 11-47-6 prohibits a person who is under guardianship or treatment or confinement by virtue of being a mental incompetent, or who has been adjudicated or is under treatment or confinement as a drug addict, from purchasing, owning, carrying, transporting or possessing any firearm. The section itself prohibits possession, and federal law adds its own prohibition.

RIGL 11-47-63 establishes a relief-from-disqualifiers process for persons barred from firearms possession because of a mental-health adjudication or commitment. Petitions go to the Relief from Disqualifiers Board, which must hold a hearing and weigh the statutory factors, including a required medical or psychiatric certificate. When relief is granted, the district court updates the petitioner's record in the database that NICS can access.

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 plea of nolo contendere to or were convicted of a felony, or of certain listed misdemeanors, punishable under the domestic violence statute, RIGL 12-29-5. RIGL 11-47-6 prohibits a person under guardianship or treatment or confinement as a mental incompetent, and a person adjudicated or under treatment or confinement as a drug addict. RIGL 11-47-7 restricts an unnaturalized foreign-born person who entered the United States in violation of its laws or who remains in the United States in violation of its laws. 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 any person, including a License to Carry holder, unless an exemption in subsections (b) to (d) applies. When a student is found carrying a weapon or firearm on school grounds, the principal or designee must immediately notify the student's parents and the local police under Section 11-47-60.2, and a person with reasonable cause to know of a violation must notify the principal or designee.

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 civil infraction with a fine of not more than $250 for a first offense to, for a third or subsequent violation, imprisonment for no more than six months, a fine of not more than $500, or both.

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's Section 11-8-8 provides that when a person dies or is injured while committing an offense listed in Sections 11-8-2 through 11-8-6, the owner, tenant or occupier of the place is rebuttably presumed to have acted by reasonable means in self-defense and in the reasonable belief that the person was about to inflict great bodily harm or death. The presumption applies wherever an offense listed in 11-8-2 through 11-8-6 is committed, which includes dwellings and also the banks, shops, churches, schools, ships and other places those sections list. There is no duty on the part of an owner, tenant or occupier to retreat from a person engaged in the commission of a listed offense.

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 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.

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.