2025 -- S 0142
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LC000390
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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A N A C T
RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- WEAPONS
Introduced By: Senators Rogers, de la Cruz, Paolino, E Morgan, and Raptakis
Date Introduced: January 31, 2025
Referred To: Senate Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Sections 11-47-8 and 11-47-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-47 entitled 1
"Weapons" are hereby amended to read as follows: 2
11-47-8. License or permit required for carrying pistol — Other weapons prohibited. 3
Firearm prohibitions. 4
(a) Except as provided in § 11-47-10, no No person shall, without a license or permit issued 5
as provided in §§ 11-47-11, 11-47-12, and 11-47-18, carry a pistol or revolver in any vehicle or 6
conveyance or on or about his or her person whether visible or concealed, except in his or her 7
dwelling house or place of business or on land possessed by him or her or as provided in §§ 11-47-8
9 and 11-47-10. The provisions of these sections shall not apply to any person who is the holder of 9
a valid license or permit issued by the licensing authority of another state, or territory of the United 10
States, or political subdivision of the state or territory, allowing him or her to carry a pistol or 11
revolver in any vehicle or conveyance or on or about his or her person whether visible or concealed, 12
provided the person is merely transporting the firearm through the state in a vehicle or other 13
conveyance without any intent on the part of the person to detain him or herself or remain within 14
the state of Rhode Island. No person shall manufacture, sell, purchase, or possess a machine gun 15
except as otherwise provided in this chapter. Every person violating the provision of this section 16
shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten (10) 17
years, or by a fine up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or both, and except for a first conviction 18
under this section, shall not be afforded the provisions of suspension or deferment of sentence, nor 19
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a probation. 1
(b) No person shall have in his or her possession or under his or her control any sawed-off 2
shotgun or sawed-off rifle as defined in § 11-47-2. Any person convicted of violating this 3
subsection shall be punished by imprisonment for up to ten (10) years, or by a fine of up to five 4
thousand dollars ($5,000), or both. 5
(c) No person shall have in his or her possession or under his or her control any firearm 6
while the person delivers, possesses with intent to deliver, or manufactures a controlled substance. 7
Any person convicted of violating this subsection shall be punished by imprisonment for not less 8
than two (2) years nor more than twenty (20) years, and the sentence shall be consecutive to any 9
sentence the person may receive for the delivery, possession with intent to deliver, or the 10
manufacture of the controlled substance. It shall not be a defense to a violation of this subsection 11
that a person has a license or permit to carry or possess a firearm. 12
(d) It shall be unlawful for any person to possess a bump-fire device, binary trigger, trigger 13
crank, or any other device that when attached to a semi-automatic weapon allows full-automatic 14
fire. Individuals who possess these items shall have ninety (90) days from the enactment of this 15
section to either sell, destroy, or otherwise remove these items from the state of Rhode Island. Every 16
person violating the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment 17
for not less than one nor more than ten (10) years, or by a fine up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000), 18
or both, and, except for a first conviction under this section, shall not be afforded the provisions of 19
suspension or deferment of sentence, nor a probation. 20
(e) No person shall manufacture, sell, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, possess, or have 21
under his or her control a ghost gun or an undetectable firearm or any firearm produced by a 3D 22
printing process. Any person convicted of violating this subsection shall be punished by 23
imprisonment of not more than ten (10) years, or by a fine up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or 24
both and except for a first conviction under this section shall not be afforded the provisions of 25
suspension or deferment of sentence, probation, nor fine. These provisions shall not apply to 26
federally licensed manufacturers (Federal Firearm License Type 07) pursuant to Alcohol, Tobacco, 27
Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) regulations. 28
11-47-10. License or permit not required to carry to target range.Exceptions to license 29
requirement. 30
(a) A lawful resident of this state, who is twenty-one (21) years of age or older, who is not 31
otherwise prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm, shall be allowed to carry a concealed 32
handgun without a permit, subject to the following conditions: 33
(1) The individual shall have a certificate of qualification issued in accordance with § 11-34
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47-15 (law enforcement personnel may possess a Certification of the RI Combat Course) from an 1
N.R.A. instructor or a police range office. The certificate shall include the date of the qualification, 2
the printed name, phone number of the instructor, instructor N.R.A. number, the caliber of the 3
weapon and a passing score. The qualification certification may not be more than four (4) years 4
old. 5
(2) The individual shall have a pistol/revolver safety certificate or hunter safety certificate, 6
issued and/or recognized by the Rhode Island department of environmental management. 7
(3) The individual shall have in their possession, a valid photo identification issued by a 8
state or governmental agency and present the identification immediately, upon demand by a law 9
enforcement officer. 10
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, no No license or permit 11
shall be required for the purpose of carrying or transporting any pistol or revolver from one’s home 12
or place of business to a bona fide target practice range, nor from a bona fide target practice range 13
to one’s home or place of business, to engage in any shoot meet, or practice, provided that the pistol 14
or revolver is broken down, unloaded and carried as openly as circumstances will permit, or 15
provided that the pistols or revolvers are unloaded and secured in a separate container suitable for 16
the purpose. 17
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 18
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- WEAPONS
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This act would permit Rhode Island residents, twenty-one (21) years of age or older, to 1
carry a concealed handgun, without a permit, subject to meeting four (4) conditions: (1) That the 2
person is not prohibited by law from possessing a firearm; (2) That the handgun carrier must possess 3
a certificate of qualification of shooting proficiency; (3) That the carrier has a safety certificate 4
recognized by the Rhode Island department of environmental management; and (4) That the carrier 5
has, in their possession, a governmental issued photo identification. 6
This act would take effect upon passage. 7
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