Rhode Island Open and Concealed Carry Laws and Information


lukem

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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.


Permit holders are exempt from the prohibition on school carry.

11-47-60

(b) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person who shall be exempt pursuant to the provisions of §§ 11-47-9, 11-47-11, and 11-47-18 or to the following activities when the activities are officially recognized and sanctioned by the educational institution:
 
Luke


That is my permit, which is only issued to non residents, so we need a resident example they get locally.

FYI to all, most applicants are denied outright by the RI AG's Office, just as I was. The denial letter came two days after I mailed out the application. Well, you won't want me datin yer daughter, but talking is my business. I called the Deputy Chief, who referred me to the Chief, who said he would approve it, based on our half hour conversation. ( I think he got tired of listening, so he said yes, so I would shut up:))

Some weeks passed, no permit. I called and was transferred to the AG's pistol permit section. A woman there told me they don't give out info, but because I insisted I was approved she looked. It said "denied". I politely asked to speak to the Chief. He got on the phone, listened and muttered "oh yeah, I did approve you, I'll take care of it" Two days later we got the letter of approval, and made a few vacation days driving up to pick up the permit.

When you arrive at 150 So. Main Street, Providence. You ring to alert the clerk behind the glass, show the letter, he lets you in. You give the $40.00 m.o., he puts the permit on the table, and you press your thumb print, sign on the back. They then seal it in plastic. Much too big, so I cut the excess off.

I made the extra effort cause partially I am a pain in the butt, and we travel all over New England and RI means being legal throughout .

One day my Friends, we too will have nationwide carry based solely on our home state permit, and I'll chuckle about what I just described. There are bills being bottled up by certain Congress Critters ,who lean the other way.

BE REAL CAREFUL WHO YOU VOTE FOR. IT COULD MEAN NEVER SEEING A NATIONWIDE CARRY BILL!
 
i applied for the RI Non-Resident permit and all they approved me for was a permit while working. i asked if it could get reviewed because i was interested in a full carry and all they told me is that in RI they dont issue full carry. I told then that i go mostly up there on private matter alot more times that i go for work related.

anyone has an idea on what i should do next>?
i am supposed to go pick it up this coming Monday.
any input would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hey caldwelljoe what did you put for your "demonstrated need" to carry?

I'm going to take the Blue Card test tomorrow so I can buy an XD 40 and own one for range shooting. However, I'd like to eventually get a carry permit (largely so I'm not a slave to the firearm - only being able to drive it to and from the range - when I have it in the truck. I'd like to be able to stop somewhere without worrying about getting busted.)

I'll need to get better at the range to qualify, but I'm pretty close I think.

So I've been trying to think about what a demonstrable need would be. I'm still kicking my own ass for not getting the permit when I worked at the Dept of Corrections (You're automatically allowed as long as you pass the shooting qualifier.) I mean, I live in a crappy neighborhood, but I don't want to say that because they'll think I want to shoot my neighbors. I transport very expensive IT equipment around the state sometimes, but I don't want to be restricted to just "while working" like Nuts4Guns was.

Anyways, if you have any tips let me know. I'm going to try and find out if I know anyone that can put in a good word for me at the police station (unfortunately, I never did any work for the Pawtucket PD - but I did do work for several other departments around the state.. )
 
The reciprocity map, as well as the top of the RI page both show RI to be "shall-issue". However, further down the page in the "requirements" section, #2 says "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."

Based on this, and the denials claimed by others, I would consider RI a "may-issue" state.
 
The reciprocity map, as well as the top of the RI page both show RI to be "shall-issue". However, further down the page in the "requirements" section, #2 says "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."

Based on this, and the denials claimed by others, I would consider RI a "may-issue" state.

Sorry for digging up a bit of an older thread, but I just wanted to comment on this:

While the AG has discretionary authority to deny a permit based on need, if you apply to a local authority (local police chiefs), they do not have that discretion. At least as the law is written - in practice, some say no anyway.

11-47-11

So basically what it boils down to is that the AG is "may issue" and the local authorities are "shall issue."
 
I would like to respond to this since some of the information in this thread is not correct.
There are two ways you can get you CCW permit (11-47-2) :
1. Attorney General who is May Issue (11-47-18) . Contrary to what some people say, you don't need to carry a lot of cash or have a constant threat to your life to get a permit. Their approval rating of permits according to this article is about 90%. If you don't believe it, you write the AG's office and ask for the information as part of the Freedom Of Information Act. Putting down "All legal and Lawful Purposes" will probably get you denied, but if you can't come up with a better reason than that you probably don't deserve a permit. The former AG (Sheldon Whitehouse, now a Senator in Congress from RI) was much more difficult, until he was sued in the RI Supreme Court and lost.
2. The Chief of Police of the town you live in is also the licensing authority, and they are Shall Issue (11-47-11) . The RI law also allows for other town officials to license, but I am not aware of any towns actually doing this. The problem with applying to the PD, is that a majority of the Chiefs don't accept applications, or deny permits for non-valid reasons. Some towns also require you to take a psych exam costing $300 and take a day off from work to take it. It's the same test police applicants have to take I believe. This is in clear violation of RI law, and some chiefs have been sued and lost in court. So, the law is on the citizen's side here, but unfortunately the chiefs don't follow the law...

I have also heard that the AG ordered the Chiefs not to issue permits, but to send the applicants to the AG. I don't believe this is true, unless it was said a long time ago by possibly Whitehouse. When I talked to the AG's office regarding a CCW, they did not mention this and they agreed that I could apply to the local chief. There are a few chiefs that issue today anyway.

They do give out permits without restrictions, but it's rear. However, the RI statutes doesn't say anything about restrictions on permits.

Here is a link to the application with the requirements:
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Carry reason

Can anyone suggest a good reason the AG would qualify the average person? I have my blue card, but like others, I don't want the hassle of not being able to stop on the way to and from the range.
 
Contact your police department and ask for an application. What town do you live in? The PD is required by law to process applications, but many don't so you can take them to court if you want to... This was done once and the person won. You can read about Archer vs. McGarry here Link Removed

The other option is to apply to the AG and give the reason you gave in your post and he will most likely give you a permit (if you satisfy all the other criteria) with a Target Range restriction.
 
Listen to NewportRI, I was a rifle shooter in RI, and the laws are a little more relaxed for rifles. My impression of the CCW process in RI was from other pistol shooters who applied for CCW from Patrick Lynch. If you do apply to the AG, just be specific on why you are requesting it. Don't know if you are from in state or out of state, but I was from in state, and never felt uncomfortable transporting my rifle in its case in the trunk. Just obey the traffic laws and you won't get hassled. Here in AZ if we get stopped, and we have a CCW, we are required to inform the officer that we have a CCW, that we have a firearm in the vehicle, and request the officer give specific instructions on what to do, and follow their instructions exactly. That makes things go very smoothly.
 
As far as transporting rifles... Its perfectly acceptable here in RI without a license, just be sensible about it. In fact, the CCW in RI is a "Pistol Permit".
 
I do live in RI, and I was looking at the AG application. So, I was looking for advice on what people might have used successfully as a reason to carry. I can't say I need it for my job, and don't have a record of violence against me or in my neighborhood. I didn't think they would approve a reason like - too lazy to go straight home from the range.
 
Non Resident CCW Permit in R

i applied for the RI Non-Resident permit and all they approved me for was a permit while working. i asked if it could get reviewed because i was interested in a full carry and all they told me is that in RI they dont issue full carry. I told then that i go mostly up there on private matter alot more times that i go for work related.

anyone has an idea on what i should do next>?
i am supposed to go pick it up this coming Monday.
any input would be greatly appreciated.

I am a resident of RI with a CCW permit. I would recommend contacting an Attorney. That has always worked for people who were denied. Let me know your results at [email protected]

Al
 
Non Resident CCW Permit in RI.

i applied for the RI Non-Resident permit and all they approved me for was a permit while working. i asked if it could get reviewed because i was interested in a full carry and all they told me is that in RI they dont issue full carry. I told then that i go mostly up there on private matter alot more times that i go for work related.

anyone has an idea on what i should do next>?
i am supposed to go pick it up this coming Monday.
any input would be greatly appreciated.

I am a resident of RI with a CCW permit. I would recommend contacting an Attorney. That has always worked for people who were denied. Let me know your results at [email protected]

Al
 
Can anyone suggest a good reason the AG would qualify the average person? I have my blue card, but like others, I don't want the hassle of not being able to stop on the way to and from the range.

The only way is to apply for a CCW permit.
 
Hey caldwelljoe what did you put for your "demonstrated need" to carry?

I'm going to take the Blue Card test tomorrow so I can buy an XD 40 and own one for range shooting. However, I'd like to eventually get a carry permit (largely so I'm not a slave to the firearm - only being able to drive it to and from the range - when I have it in the truck. I'd like to be able to stop somewhere without worrying about getting busted.)

I'll need to get better at the range to qualify, but I'm pretty close I think.

So I've been trying to think about what a demonstrable need would be. I'm still kicking my own ass for not getting the permit when I worked at the Dept of Corrections (You're automatically allowed as long as you pass the shooting qualifier.) I mean, I live in a crappy neighborhood, but I don't want to say that because they'll think I want to shoot my neighbors. I transport very expensive IT equipment around the state sometimes, but I don't want to be restricted to just "while working" like Nuts4Guns was.

Anyway, if you have any tips let me know. I'm going to try and find out if I know anyone that can put in a good word for me at the police station (unfortunately, I never did any work for the Pawtucket PD - but I did do work for several other departments around the state.. )

I am a resident of RI and also a Correction Officer in Mass. I have a CCW permit in RI and Florida. My reason to justify my permit application was - As a Correction Officer it is known that we are often assaulted, threatened and the safety of our families are threatened. Some Officers have had contracts taken on them and their family by Inmates, former inmates/families, friends and gang associated members outside of prison. Let me know your results at [email protected] AL
 
The thread on RI carry in schools I don't think is is entirely accurate. RI General Law §§ 11-47-60 states:



"b) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person who shall be exempt pursuant to the provisions of §§ 11-47-9, 11-47-11, and 11-47-18 or to the following activities when the activities are officially recognized and sanctioned by the educational institution:"



Since 11-47-11 is police issued carry permits and 11-47-18 is AG issued carry permits, it would appear that the holder of a valid RI LTC can indeed carry on school grounds in RI. Correct me if I am wrong, please.
 
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