Carrying
R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-8 — a pistol carried outside the home, business or one's own land needs a license, from a city or town or from the attorney general
A license is required. No person may carry a pistol or revolver in a vehicle or on or about the person, visible or concealed, without a license or permit, except in the person's own dwelling house or place of business or on land the person possesses.
A violation is punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten years, or a fine up to $10,000, or both. After a first conviction, the sentence cannot be suspended or deferred, and there is no probation.
A holder of another state's license who is only transporting the firearm through Rhode Island in a vehicle, with no intent to stay, is outside the section.
- The licensing authority of a city or town issues a license to carry concealed to an applicant twenty-one years of age or over, living or doing business there, who has good reason to fear an injury or any other proper reason, and is a suitable person.
- That license is good everywhere in the state for four years from the date of issue.
- The attorney general may issue a license to carry, concealed or not, to a person twenty-one years of age or over upon a proper showing of need.
The fee is $40 for each license, and every license is valid for four years from issue unless revoked sooner. Neither the town nor the attorney general may release the name, address or date of birth of a license holder.
Carrying a firearm while delivering or holding drugs for sale is a separate crime, and a license is no defense to it. A particular situation is a question for a licensed Rhode Island attorney.
Sources for this section (4)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-8 — License or permit required for carrying pistol; Other weapons prohibited
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-11 — License or permit to carry concealed pistol or revolver
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-12 — License or permit fee
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-18 — License or permit issued by attorney general on showing of need; Issuance to retired police officers
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Rhode Island attorney.