Click here to view the Rhode Island Concealed Carry Permit Map at the bottom of the page.
If you would like to contribute to this page, please post the information in the Rhode Island State Forums.
Concealed Permit:
Shall Issue to Residents and Non-Residents.
Rhode Island actually has a Shall-Issue law (for issuance by local law enforcement) and a Capricious-Issue law (for issuance by the attorney general). The attorney general has succeeded, at least temporarily, in stifling the local Shall-Issue system, but a decision of the Rhode Island Supreme Court suggests that this state of affairs is untenable. All that is necessary to implement Shall-Issue in Rhode Island is a new Attorney General with a different attitude. (My Albany Law Review article, available at www.davekopel.org, provides more details about Rhode Island and Wisconsin.)
Example Resident / Non-Resident Permit:
Issuing Authority:
The issuing authority is the local chief of police or the state attorney general.
NICS/Background Check:
The Attorney General then checks the applicant’s background with state, local and federal law enforcement databases. The Attorney General may also check Court records and other sources for pending criminal cases, restraining orders and/or discrepancies in the applicant’s background, including prior history of mental illness.
Permit Valid For:
Four (4) years from date of issue
Permit Issued Timeline:
Cost:
A fee of forty dollars ($40.00) shall be charged and shall be paid for each license or permit to the licensing authority issuing the same. CHECK OR MONEY ORDER must be presented when picking up permit. DO NOT SEND A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER WITH YOUR APPLICATION
Requirements:
1. Twenty-one (21) years of age or over
2. A proper showing of need. This statute requires the Attorney General to deny a pistol permit to all persons who do not demonstrate a proper showing of need to carry a pistol or revolver on their person. If an individual is able to demonstrate a proper showing of need, the Attorney General then has discretion to issue or deny a pistol permit.
3. Training Requirements – No person shall be issued a license or permit to carry a pistol or revolver concealed upon his or her person until he or she has presented certification as prescribed in § 11-47-16 that he or she has qualified with a pistol or revolver of a caliber equal to or larger than the one he or she intends to carry, that qualification to consist of firing a score of 195 or better out of a possible score of 300 with thirty (30) consecutive rounds at a distance of twenty-five (25) yards on the army “L” target, firing “slow” fire. The “slow” fire course shall allow ten (10) minutes for the firing of each of three (3) ten (10) shot strings.
4. The application must be NOTARIZED and MUST BE SIGNED OR STAMPED by the local Police Chief or a city hall official in the city or town of the applicant’s residence.
5. Submit everything to the Attorney General at 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island
Required Documents:
1. Official application form must be filled out completely by the applicant.
2. Two (2) (1” X 1”) pictures of the applicant taken without headgear or glasses. This photo must be a clear picture of the head and face. Please PRINT applicant’s name on the back of each picture. NO laminated photos will be accepted.
3. Two types of positive identification must be submitted, photocopied, signed and dated by a Notary Public, attesting to be true copies.
4. All new pistol permits issued from this office must have a full set of applicant’s fingerprints submitted on a FBI FINGERPRINT APPLICANT CARD [FD-258 (Rev. 12-29-82)] included with be application. Fingerprint card must be signed by applicant. This is not necessary for a renewal application.
5. Proof of qualification before a certified weapons instructor; i.e., N.R.A. Instructor or Police range instructor must be supplied. Along with a copy of the instructor’s NRA/FBI firearms instructor’s certification.
6. All NON-RESIDENT APPLICANTS must include a copy of the their home state permit.
7. If the permit is to be used for employment, a TYPE letter of explanation must be submitted on your employer’s letterhead and included with the application. If the permit is not for employment, a typed letter must be submitted by the applicant stating the reasons why a permit is needed on a full time basis. All letters must be dated. We will not accept a photocopy of any signature. Retired Police Officers applying under 11-47-18 must submit a letter of verification from the Chief of Police of the department which they retired from stating that they have completed 20 years of GOOD service.
Renewal Information:
1. Fingerprint card not needed.
Change of Name or Address:
Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Permits:
All permit holders are required to inform their respective city or town police departments, as well as the Bureau of Criminal Identification of the Department of Attorney General, within 24 hours of becoming aware of the loss or theft of a weapon. If you do not report a loss or theft timely, your permit may be suspended.
Informing Law Enforcement of Carry:
Automobile carry:
A carry permit issued by any state or locality is required for transportation of handuns through the state; unloaded rifles and shotguns may be transported without a permit in a vehicle.
No license or permit shall be required for the purpose of carrying or transporting any pistol or revolver from one’s home or place of business to a bona fide target practice range, nor from a bona fide target practice range to one’s home or place of business, to engage in any shoot meet, or practice, provided that the pistol or revolver is broken down, unloaded and carried as openly as circumstances will permit, or provided that the pistols or revolvers are unloaded and secured in a separate container suitable for the purpose.
Places off-limits when carrying:
1. The property of a public or private elementary or secondary school or in those portions of any building, stadium, or other structure on school grounds which were, at the time of the violation, being used for an activity sponsored by or through such a school in this state or while riding school provided transportation.
Alcohol and Drugs:
It is unlawful to carry or transport any firearm in this state when intoxicated or under the influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotic drugs.
Deadly Force / Castle Doctrine:
Rhode Island is a Castle Doctrine state and has a stand-your-ground law.
Open Carry:
Prohibited in all public areas unless one has an attorney general-issued permit.
Localities with Varying Laws:
Forms & Links:
Instructions and Application
NRA-ILA: Rhode Island Gun Laws
