A. You can go into almost any gun store or range in Rhode Island and take the “blue card” test, or you can schedule a test directly with the DEM here. The blue card card allows you to buy handguns and ammunition; there’s still a background check and waiting period (like with rifles) and this card is not the same as a permit to carry a gun. Also, make sure you don’t misplace the card once it arrives, cause they don't keep track and you’d have to retake the test if you lost it. A helpful study guide can be found here but don’t worry, the test is super easy!

A. There are two types of carry permits in Rhode Island, so we’ll outline both. Municipal permits (from your city of residence) are easier to get, but they only allow you to carry a concealed firearm. The RI Attorney General permits are much harder to get, but they allow you to open carry a handgun.

Municipal (concealed) carry permits:

The most common permit is one you’d get from your city of residence. If you live in Providence, it’s highly recommended that you get a non-resident concealed carry permit from NH first. If you don’t have a permit from another state, you’re forced to apply in the city in which you reside; the city of Providence is notorious for not giving people permits even though technically the municipal permits are “shall issue”, meaning the city has no choice if you meet the criteria. Once you have a permit from another state, you can apply in any city in the state. Cranston and Warwick are both pretty permissible. Additionally, RI does not recognize permits from any other states, and very few states recognize Rhode Island's, so just because you have a permit here doesn’t always mean you can carry in other states without their permit, and vice versa.

It also helps to take a couple NRA “defensive” classes to add to your application.

The shooting exam is tough, you’ll need to practice beforehand. You have 10 minutes to shoot 30 rounds at an Army-L target at 25 yards. Each shot is worth a maximum of 10 points (based on where you hit the target), and you need 195 points to pass (out of a possible 300).Whatever caliber of gun you qualify with is the highest caliber you’re allowed to carry; for example, if you qualify with a .45, anything smaller than that is fine to carry.

You’ll need 3 notarized letters of reference from people who can attest that you’re a safe and qualified gun owner. One of the club members is a notary, so reach out to us if you need help with this portion.

Once everything in your application packet is complete, you’ll submit it to the municipality police department. You’ll also need a photo and fingerprints taken. The police will review your application and call you in for an interview with the committee. Sometimes it takes weeks or months to hear back from them.

The application process is very confusing, and we’re happy to answer specific questions as you get started.

Attorney General (AG) (open) carry permits:

The AG is “may issue”, unlike the municipal permits which are “shall issue”. It’s very hard to get an AG permit because they can and almost always do choose not to give them to somebody who isn’t a cop or ex-military. Being refused an AG permit might also make it harder to get or renew a municipal permit in the future.

A. Here’s the broad strokes (keep in mind, we’re not attorneys). Some specifics can be found here.

- Under current law, a person must be 21 years of age to purchase a firearm in Rhode Island, and they must show proof of completing a firearms safety training course administered by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (“blue card”) to legally purchase a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island.

- Both statutes allow for specific exemptions regarding the waiting period, age, and firearms safety training.The waiting period is 7 days and any firearm purchase in RI requires a background check.

- To buy a firearm online, you simply need to have it shipped to an FFL; they’ll take care of the waiting period and background, and usually charge anywhere from $20-$50 to do this (called a “transfer fee” because it’s transferring ownership from another FFL to you, the buyer). Further down, we’ll outline the various FFLs in RI that we like to do business with.

A. As of 2022, it is explicitly illegal to carry a long gun in public in RI.

A. A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, being unable to pass the required federal background check or desiring to not have his or her name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass the required background check to purchase the firearm for him/her. It’s illegal and punishable by a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison.

A. As far as we know, no. Currently, it only matters if you’ve been in inpatient care for mental health in the 5 years preceding your background check. You don’t have to disclose anything about your mental health unless you’ve been in the hospital for it, basically. At the federal level, the inpatient care needs to be involuntary or a court needs to judge you as "mentally incompetent" (that language is problematic, but it was written by the US government so we're not shocked)

HOWEVER, at the time we're writing this, Dems at the federal and RI state level are pushing to make it legal for FFLs (gun stores) and cops to access your medical records during the background check. We think this is a very bad idea.

A. The most cost-effective range in RI is Tiverton Rod and Gun Club, but they’re members-only. At the time we're writing this, membership is $180/year (plus a one-time $50 initiation fee) and includes unlimited use of their outdoor rifle range and 24/7 access to their indoor pistol-caliber-only range. Their membership is much less chuddy than most places, and the people who run it are very responsive to complaints about bad behavior. There’s also cameras everywhere, so nobody can get away with shenanigans. There’s a pro shop here but it’s very small and has limited hours.

Midstate Gun Company in Coventry is also good. They’re friendly and knowledgeable, and have a wide range of rental guns you can try. It’s about $20 an hour. It’s also a great place to take your blue card test because they have a pretty big lounge area with tables.

The best instructor any of us have worked with is Pierre Salomon. He’s a Black veteran who loves teaching non-white people and/or non-men. He’s also queer-friendly and fun to learn from.

Rhode Island Guns and Ammo is usually quiet, has very reasonable transfer fees, and the owner is polite.

There aren't that many options, unfortunately. We do know that Red Star Defense sell amazing handmade armor and plate carriers

While it is technically federally legal with the appropriate permitting and background  to own things like machine guns, suppressors, and short barreled rifles under federal law, these items are explicitly banned by Rhode Island law and thus cannot be legally owned by civilians in this state. 

Gun violence is a real crisis in this country, none of us deny this reality. However, there are many common misconceptions about the causes of gun violence and their solutions. Rather than focusing on restricting the rights of lawful gun owners and the rights of oppressed communities to self defense, we believe that efforts to reduce gun violence should be focused on the root causes of the majority of gun violence, namely the socioeconomic effects of our capitalist system. We've previously published an article about this in Uprise RI, with more statistical data and information.