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There are no laws against openly carrying unloaded long guns.
How do you open carry a long gun?
Well, I couldn't find anything in the firearms act, other than that you cannot have a loaded weapon in a vehicle (11-47-51). However, there might be something in the Fish and Wildlife statutes since you could be considered as a hunter..Is there definitely a law requiring them to be unloaded?
Why don't you apply for a pistol permit instead?
If anybody is interested in doing an event like this in the future, let me know. It's really not safe to do something like this alone or without members of the media present. It's also probably a good idea to notify the police of your intentions ahead of time. The perfect venue for something like this? I'm thinking Downtown Providence during either WaterFire or a similarly large event.
If you are in possession of the rifle/shotgun it should be unloaded regardless of whether you are walking, biking, or driving in public.
There is a guy who has an open carry license in RI and blogs about it. He's been arrested on Thayer St for having a gun, despite having the license. The cops just have zero clue whatsoever that it's even a thing.
I know this is an old thread but I'm interested in the legalities of open carrying a rifle/shotgun as well. I live close to a WMA and want to ride my bicycle there with my gun on a sling and hunting gear in a backpack so I can do some squirrel and some other small game hunting. I have gotten way out of shape and figure it would be a good way to drop a few lbs. Checking out the RI laws it looks like I can open carry an unloaded rifle while riding a bike, a bike would be a "conveyance," right? Not that I really care to but the way the law is worded it sounds to me carrying a loaded rifle is legal as long as you are not in a "vehicle or conveyance." Or does "upon" mean a conveyance and "along" mean walking?
"It is unlawful for any person to have in his or her possession a loaded rifle or loaded shotgun or a rifle or shotgun from the magazine of which all shells and cartridges have not been removed in or on any vehicle or conveyance or its attachments while upon or along any public highway, road, lane, or trail within this state..."
Even if it is legal to carry a rifle I can imagine peddling along and out of nowhere getting the crap beaten out of me or shot by the local police.
Let me know how this works out for you...or better yet, I'll just see you on the 6:00 news.
Well I went to the town of Westerly P.D. today to see if I could get an application for a ccw and they gave me the "go to the Attorney General's Office" line and then I asked about open carrying a rifle or shotgun they told me it was illegal and I told them that there was no law against it and they just kept on telling me that I couldn't do it. They were actually being friendly I think they thought just thought I was a moron. I'm thinking about talking to a lawyer and having them contact the P.D. so I wont get messed with. Is this a good idea? If I can't get a ccw I'll just walk around town with a rifle on a sling.
So I was going to buy a rifle from a guy who lived in Woonsocket or Providence. I told him that I have a RI CCW so I do not need a background check and because private sales are legal in RI, he could literally show up at my house, I give him the money, he gives me the rifle. This is in fact the law in RI. If you have a town issued CCW, you are exempt from a background check or waiting period. In fact, all of the FFLs knowsthis and while they still have to perform a federal instant check, after they are done with that they just hand you your firearm and you walk out the door. But since a private party seller is not required to perform a federal check and not regulated by the ATF, there is nothing more to it.
Ok, it sounds ridiculously weird. I get that. The guy does not believe me. Understandable. So he calls up my local PD to confirm my story and they start freaking out telling him how illegal it is and that I am just wrong and it cannot be done. Despite that fact that the law is well understood by dealers, lawyers and anyone who has a CCW.
It has been my experience that police know less about firearms law than just about anyone else. But that will not stop them from arresting you out of their own ignorance.
Well I went to the town of Westerly P.D. today to see if I could get an application for a ccw and they gave me the "go to the Attorney General's Office" line and then I asked about open carrying a rifle or shotgun they told me it was illegal and I told them that there was no law against it and they just kept on telling me that I couldn't do it. They were actually being friendly I think they thought just thought I was a moron. I'm thinking about talking to a lawyer and having them contact the P.D. so I wont get messed with. Is this a good idea? If I can't get a ccw I'll just walk around town with a rifle on a sling.
Godspeed my friend...
Westerly has applications and has issued permits. Send them an Open Records request and ask for the application and I am sure they will send it to you.Brb pricing out body armour...lol j/k. Westerly is a small town I'm thinking about going to a lawyer to confirm the legalities of carrying a rifle and having the lawyer contact the police chief then the Chief would have to tell the rest of the Dept. and
my butt should be covered. Also since Westerly wont give me an application for a ccw they are violating state law? If being a collector now is proper reason for carrying when pertaining to the town (not the AG) I can say I'm a collector (mailing out application for C&R tomorrow) maybe they will give me a ccw because they simply don't want me to carry the shotgun or rifle around because everyone will be calling 911 and causing to much of a scene.
Yea wordering about this the law says unloaded when it pertains to vehicles, not walking.
Westerly has applications and has issued permits. Send them an Open Records request and ask for the application and I am sure they will send it to you.
You don't need to have a C&R to be a collector. Mosby (Mosby v. Devine) was a collector, but he did not have a C&R license.
If anybody is interested in doing an event like this in the future, let me know. It's really not safe to do something like this alone or without members of the media present. It's also probably a good idea to notify the police of your intentions ahead of time. The perfect venue for something like this? I'm thinking Downtown Providence during either WaterFire or a similarly large event.