Safe Storage Requirements:
The 2024 Expansion

Rhode Island General Laws Section 11-47-60.1^[1] governs the safe storage of firearms. Before the 2024 amendments, the statute applied to a person who stored or left a loaded firearm on premises under their control, knew or reasonably should have known that a child was likely to gain access, and the child obtained the firearm and caused injury. The 2024 amendments fundamentally restructured the provision, creating a standalone obligation for all firearms owners.

The Original Criminal Storage Rule

The criminal storage provisions remain in effect. Under subsection (c), a person who stores or leaves a firearm on premises under their control, knowing or having reason to know that a child under 18 is likely to gain access without the permission of the child's parent or guardian, or that a person prohibited under state or federal law from purchasing or possessing firearms is likely to gain access, commits criminal storage of a firearm in the second degree if the child or prohibited person actually obtains access. The rule covers any firearm, loaded or unloaded, and access alone triggers liability, punishable by up to one year imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. If the firearm obtained is then used in the commission of a crime or to cause injury to any person, the offense becomes criminal storage in the first degree under subsection (d), punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.^[1] These provisions do not apply if the child or prohibited person obtains the firearm through an illegal entry or an illegal taking from the owner's premises, if the firearm was secured in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device, if the firearm was being carried by or could be readily carried by a lawfully authorized user in proximity to it, or if the firearm was obtained in a lawful act of self-defense or defense of another person.

The 2024 Standalone Storage Duty

The 2024 amendment added subsection (b), under which a person who stores or leaves a firearm in any place is guilty of unsafe storage unless the firearm is secured in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device, properly engaged, except a firearm carried by or readily carried by a lawfully authorized user in proximity to it.^[2] This obligation applies to ALL firearms (loaded or unloaded, handguns and long guns alike) and does not require that a minor be present or gain access. The storage duty does not apply to a firearm that is being carried by or can be readily carried by a lawfully authorized user who is in proximity to the firearm.

Tiered Penalty Structure

The penalty structure for a standalone storage violation escalates with each offense:

• First offense: Civil infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $250
• Second offense: Civil infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000
• Third or subsequent offense: On conviction, imprisonment for no more than six months, a fine of not more than $500, or both

These penalties apply to the standalone storage violation only. The criminal storage provisions retain their own penalty structure, under which access by a child or prohibited person is a second-degree offense punishable by up to one year, and use of the firearm in a crime or to cause injury elevates it to a first-degree offense punishable by up to 5 years.^[1]

Practical Compliance

Rhode Island law does not prescribe specific types of locked containers or safety devices. A locked container (gun safe, lockbox, locked cabinet) or a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device satisfies the requirement when properly engaged so that the firearm is inoperable by anyone other than the owner or another lawfully authorized user. A cable lock qualifies only if it is a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device properly engaged to make the firearm inoperable by others. The key consideration is that the firearm must be secured so that it is inoperable by anyone other than the owner or another lawfully authorized user, unless it is carried by or can be readily carried by such a user who is in proximity to it.^[3]