Open Carry Laws in Rhode Island

Open carry of firearms in Rhode Island is subject to restrictions that differ depending on the type of firearm and whether the person holds a permit. Rhode Island requires a license or permit to carry a pistol or revolver, visible or concealed, outside the person's dwelling, place of business or possessed land, except as provided in RIGL 11-47-9 and 11-47-10, and the Attorney General's office describes its 11-47-18 permit as a concealed or open carry permit.^[6]

Handgun Open Carry

Open carry of a pistol or revolver in public is lawful for a holder of the Attorney General's permit under RIGL 11-47-18, which the Attorney General's office describes as a concealed or open carry permit. Section 11-47-8(a) provides that no person shall, without a license or permit issued as provided in RIGL 11-47-11, 11-47-12 and 11-47-18, carry a pistol or revolver in any vehicle or conveyance or on or about the person whether visible or concealed. The AG permit under 11-47-18(a) authorizes carrying a pistol or revolver "whether concealed or not," which is the statutory basis for open carry. A local LCCW issued under RIGL 11-47-11 authorizes concealed carry only and does not extend to open carry. The Attorney General's office describes the local license under 11-47-11 as a license or permit to carry a concealed pistol or revolver. Without a license or permit, carrying a pistol or revolver is limited to one's dwelling house, place of business or land one possesses, or the cases in RIGL 11-47-9 and 11-47-10, as provided by RIGL 11-47-8(a).^[2]

Long Gun Open Carry

Section 11-47-51 makes it unlawful for any person to have in their possession a loaded rifle or loaded shotgun "upon or along any public highway, road, lane, or trail." This is a restriction specific to public roadways and trails, not a blanket prohibition on open carry of long guns in all public places. Section 11-47-51 was enacted by P.L. 1959, ch. 75. The section was amended by P.L. 2022, ch. 133 and ch. 134, effective June 21, 2022, and most recently by P.L. 2025, ch. 165 and ch. 166, effective June 24, 2025. Outside of public highways, roads, lanes and trails, the license requirement of § 11-47-8(a) applies only to pistols and revolvers, and RIGL 11-47-2 defines pistol to include any shotgun, rifle or similar weapon with an overall length under 26 inches. Section 11-47-8 also addresses machine guns in subsection (a), sawed-off shotguns and rifles in subsection (b), firearms during certain controlled substance offenses in subsection (c), bump-fire and similar devices in subsection (d), and ghost guns in subsection (e). Section 11-47-51 bars a loaded rifle or shotgun, or one whose magazine has not been emptied, on public roads, and does not bar an unloaded long gun. The license requirement in 11-47-8(a) covers pistols and revolvers, and § 11-47-51 restricts loaded rifles and shotguns on public highways, roads, lanes and trails. RIGL 11-47-10 addresses a different subject, permit-free transport of pistols and revolvers between one's home or place of business and a bona fide target practice range.^[3]

Exceptions to the Permit Requirement

Certain persons are exempt from the general prohibition on carrying firearms without a permit. Under RIGL 11-47-9, the provisions of 11-47-8 do not apply to sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, members of the state police and of city or town police forces, other duly appointed law enforcement officers, members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Marine Corps of the United States, the National Guard or organized reserves when on duty, officers or employees of the United States authorized by law to carry a concealed firearm, and the other persons the section lists, so they may carry without an LCCW or AG permit. Additionally, RIGL 11-47-8(a) provides that no license or permit is required to carry a pistol or revolver within one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land that one possesses. The only places 11-47-8(a) names are a person's dwelling house, place of business and land possessed by the person.^[4]

Practical Considerations

Because the Attorney General may issue the permit under RIGL 11-47-18(a) upon a proper showing of need, open carry in public by a person who is not exempt under RIGL 11-47-9 depends on that showing. The Attorney General retains discretion to refuse a permit even when a proper showing of need is made. Section 11-47-18(b) separately allows the Attorney General to issue permits to certain retired state and local police officers. A person who carries a pistol or revolver in violation of RIGL 11-47-8(a) faces imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten years, or a fine up to $10,000, or both.

Post-Bruen Legal Challenge

In August 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island decided whether the Attorney General's proper-showing-of-need requirement for open carry permits violates the Second Amendment under NYSRPA v. Bruen (2022). In O'Neil v. Neronha^[5], seven Rhode Island residents with concealed carry permits challenged the AG's "proper showing of need" requirement for unrestricted (open carry) permits. Judge William E. Smith granted summary judgment for the state, holding that even assuming the Second Amendment text covers open carry, regulating the manner of public carry by limiting open carry while leaving concealed carry unaffected is within the Nation's historical tradition of regulation. The plaintiffs appealed to the First Circuit, No. 25-1814, which heard argument on July 30, 2026.