RI gun law question.

Joined
Sep 11, 2009
Messages
503
Likes
74
Location
Guilford VT
Feedback: 81 / 0 / 0
First off I'm in MA and understand the laws here. My so is in RI and is telling me he does not need a permit for antique rifles and black powder shotguns. He has asked me to give him some .22' ammo. He does not have a permit of any kind. I don't have enough info on RI and am tired of arguing about. Any help is appreciated.
 
First off I'm in MA and understand the laws here. My so is in RI and is telling me he does not need a permit for antique rifles and black powder shotguns. He has asked me to give him some .22' ammo. He does not have a permit of any kind. I don't have enough info on RI and am tired of arguing about. Any help is appreciated.

My sister lives in RI and will be purchasing her first pistol tomorrow and she just has the RI blue card to buy the gun. So If he doesn't have his blue card then he needs to get his, that would be my suggestion. Fellow RI NESers will be in to comment/correct me shortly.
 
Thanks for the reply. Is the card required to buy ammo?

From what I understand, you do not need the blue card for possessing/purchasing ammo in RI. The blue card is only for purchasing handguns so he should be fine. It's easy to get from what I hear so it probably wouldn't hurt to get it, if he wants to get a handgun in the future. This will cover everything for him except for concealed carry of a handgun.
 
Last edited:
First off I'm in MA and understand the laws here. My so is in RI and is telling me he does not need a permit for antique rifles and black powder shotguns. He has asked me to give him some .22' ammo. He does not have a permit of any kind. I don't have enough info on RI and am tired of arguing about. Any help is appreciated.
The RI gun laws are well summarized here: NRA-ILA | Rhode Island

In short, no license is required for long guns. The blue card (very easy to get), is only required for purchase (not possession) of handguns.

Long guns can be carried in a vehicle, unloaded (magazines unloaded too). Handguns only permitted for home or business defense, and travel to and from a range (and between home and business if applicable).

No restrictions on ammo purchase or possession.
 
RI has no restrictive laws regarding possession of a firearm or ammo- other than for an underage or prohibited person.

RI restricts carrying a loaded weapon outside of your home or place of business or while at a target range to those who have a concealed carry license. There is an exception for hunting weapons carried while hunting.

To purchase a handgun you need a safety card (aka blue card). No card is required to buy a rifle or shotgun or ammo.
 
RI restricts carrying a loaded weapon outside of your home or place of business or while at a target range to those who have a concealed carry license. There is an exception for hunting weapons carried while hunting.
A correction to this, unless you have a carry permit, you cannot carry or transport ANY handgun, loaded or unloaded except under the narrow exceptions of home to business, or to the range. Long guns can be transported anywhere without a permit, but must be unloaded when in a vehicle. There are a few other specific conditions about transport that you need to read about in the law.
 
A correction to this, unless you have a carry permit, you cannot carry or transport ANY handgun, loaded or unloaded except under the narrow exceptions of home to business, or to the range. Long guns can be transported anywhere without a permit, but must be unloaded when in a vehicle. There are a few other specific conditions about transport that you need to read about in the law.

Tis true but I belong to range and how can anyone tell me, upon stopping me, that I am not headed to or back from the range? I have a membership card to prove my membership! I also have to Town Permit, but that is another issue. In general, if you lock your weapon in a secure case in your trunk, separate from the ammo, and can plausibly be going to or from the range, you're golden. RI is a stupid place but not as stupid as MA. PM me if you need more info but in RI, you're putting more thought into this than is necessary.

So If he doesn't have his blue card then he needs to get his, that would be my suggestion.

Blue card is a joke. Most LGS's ignore it. They will not even ask if she has one but what the hell, it cannot hurt...
 
Tis true but I belong to range and how can anyone tell me, upon stopping me, that I am not headed to or back from the range? I have a membership card to prove my membership! I also have to Town Permit, but that is another issue. In general, if you lock your weapon in a secure case in your trunk, separate from the ammo, and can plausibly be going to or from the range, you're golden. RI is a stupid place but not as stupid as MA. PM me if you need more info but in RI, you're putting more thought into this than is necessary.
Hey suit yourself. I'm just stating my understanding of the RI statutes, which I believe to be correct. I think it's irresponsible and reckless to give such advise to someone like the OP asking a serious question. Your plan could lead to being jailed on a felony charge, and a permanent PP. I'm not saying I agree with the laws here in RI (by a long shot), but I think the OP needs to make an informed decision.

If you don't think it could happen, a guy named Brian Aitken was jammed up in NJ three years ago for a BS transport charge, pretty much the same thing we are talking about here. He was transporting under one of the allowed exemptions, but it didn't matter. He was convicted of three felony charges and sentenced to 10 years. He served 4 months before Gov Christy ordered his release, and two of the three charges were subsequently overturned. Could the same thing happen in RI? Given the extreme anti-gun attitudes of the Governor, AG, State Police Colonel, and most of the town police chiefs, I'd say it is likely.
 
A correction to this, unless you have a carry permit, you cannot carry or transport ANY handgun, loaded or unloaded except under the narrow exceptions of home to business, or to the range. Long guns can be transported anywhere without a permit, but must be unloaded when in a vehicle. There are a few other specific conditions about transport that you need to read about in the law.

So if my sister (who lives in RI) wanted to come up to MA with her handgun, it's only fine as long as she was going to my local shooting range with me and then heading back to RI?

I would hope as long as she has it in one of those gunvault lockboxes in her car unloaded, then she would be fine to bring it up to MA to my range.
 

Damn. What am I thinking, no she has to have the MA nonresident LTC, I knew that. It's still early in the morning.

The other thing I realized is she has "high capacity" ruger sr9 magazines as well which is a no no in MA.
 
Last edited:
So if my sister (who lives in RI) wanted to come up to MA with her handgun, it's only fine as long as she was going to my local shooting range with me and then heading back to RI?

I would hope as long as she has it in one of those gunvault lockboxes in her car unloaded, then she would be fine to bring it up to MA to my range.

Weird, my fiancee and I are horrible people then, when we go to friends houses on our way to or from shoots, or stop for food, or any of the other various activities that fill our days. (The following is opinion)Lock it up and don't drive like a jack ass; it's a right, not a privilege.
 
I know she has friends that live in RI but go to a shooting range just over the border in Attleboro if I remember correctly. They definitely don't have MA nonresident LTCs so technically they're breaking the law just to go to and from the range?
 
From the GOAL website:
Traveling with firearms into and out of Massachusetts

MA Non Resident Information


Allowed

  • Handguns - possession by a non resident for the purpose of attending
    the following; competition, a meeting or exhibition of any organized firearms
    collecting group, or hunting.

    Not Allowed

    • "Carrying" of any firearm, this means open or concealed carry of any
      kind of firearms, with the exception of the above mentioned exemptions, is not
      permitted unless you have a non-resident LTC.
    • Large Capacity Magazines (unless mfg before 9/13/1994)
    So if she doesn't bring the postban "high capacity" magazines then she should be fine as long as she's not hanging around in MA with the gun in her car.
 
So if she doesn't bring the postban "high capacity" magazines then she should be fine as long as she's not hanging around in MA with the gun in her car.
It's more complex than that. In addition to fitting into one of the exemptions (match or show), she must also have a license to carry/possess firearms issued by any state, district or territory that prohibits issuance of such licenses to drug users.

There is a certain degree of peril in relying on short summaries of gun laws, as important little details like this are frequently omitted.

Plug for Len's course incorporated by reference.
 
It's more complex than that. In addition to fitting into one of the exemptions (match or show), she must also have a license to carry/possess firearms issued by any state, district or territory that prohibits issuance of such licenses to drug users.

There is a certain degree of peril in relying on short summaries of gun laws, as important little details like this are frequently omitted.

Plug for Len's course incorporated by reference.

Well for now I'll tell her just to keep it in RI. She occasionally comes up to MA and NH to see family and friends so in that case, it's not a "competition or match at a shooting range". But I've taken her to my local range a couple times to shoot so she'd probably want to bring her new gun but for now I'll tell her to leave it at home.
 
From the GOAL website:
Traveling with firearms into and out of Massachusetts

MA Non Resident Information


Allowed


  • Handguns - possession by a non resident for the purpose of attending
    the following; competition, a meeting or exhibition of any organized firearms
    collecting group, or hunting.


    Not Allowed


    • "Carrying" of any firearm, this means open or concealed carry of any
      kind of firearms, with the exception of the above mentioned exemptions, is not
      permitted unless you have a non-resident LTC.
    • Large Capacity Magazines (unless mfg before 9/13/1994)
    So if she doesn't bring the postban "high capacity" magazines then she should be fine as long as she's not hanging around in MA with the gun in her car.

It's more complex than that. In addition to fitting into one of the exemptions (match or show), she must also have a license to carry/possess firearms issued by any state, district or territory that prohibits issuance of such licenses to drug users.

There is a certain degree of peril in relying on short summaries of gun laws, as important little details like this are frequently omitted.

Plug for Len's course incorporated by reference.

Read Rob's comment VERY CAREFULLY.

GOAL IS WRONG!!!

According to former FRB Director Jason Guida, there are NO STATES that meet the exemption Rob mentioned above. Until he pointed that out to me in a long phone conversation, I like most everyone else (including some very esteemed firearms attorneys) were of the belief that visitors could be legally covered by S. 131G!

Effectively, there is NO EXEMPTION, period!!
 
Read Rob's comment VERY CAREFULLY.

GOAL IS WRONG!!!

According to former FRB Director Jason Guida, there are NO STATES that meet the exemption Rob mentioned above. Until he pointed that out to me in a long phone conversation, I like most everyone else (including some very esteemed firearms attorneys) were of the belief that visitors could be legally covered by S. 131G!

Effectively, there is NO EXEMPTION, period!!

Thanks for that information. Sounds like GOAL should be a little more detailed/clear when posting this info on their website.

Well, I'll tell her to leave her handgun in RI and don't bother bringing it into MA.
 
Thanks for that information. Sounds like GOAL should be a little more detailed/clear when posting this info on their website.

Well, I'll tell her to leave her handgun in RI and don't bother bringing it into MA.

There are numerous factual (law) errors on the GOAL website. I no longer have anything to do with GOAL so it's not my job to educate them. NES is my community and I try my damnedest to educate those here willing to listen/read/learn . . . what they do with that info is strictly up to them.
 
There are numerous factual (law) errors on the GOAL website. I no longer have anything to do with GOAL so it's not my job to educate them. NES is my community and I try my damnedest to educate those here willing to listen/read/learn . . . what they do with that info is strictly up to them.

Well I'm glad NES is your community and that I'm a member of NES. Lots of great resources here. Thanks again.
 
Well for now I'll tell her just to keep it in RI. She occasionally comes up to MA and NH to see family and friends so in that case, it's not a "competition or match at a shooting range". But I've taken her to my local range a couple times to shoot so she'd probably want to bring her new gun but for now I'll tell her to leave it at home.

For Mass, I'd leave it home, but that's because Mass sucks and might take them away because your car is the wrong shade of green or some crap.

NH, on the other hand, bring the guns. Transporting through Ma is perfectly legal under the interstate transport laws; so long as it is legal for the person transporting them to possess them in the originating state and the destination state. There is more to it than that, but that is the pertinent portion for this discussion... don't hang around too much on your way north or back south, and you'll have no problems.
 
For Mass, I'd leave it home, but that's because Mass sucks and might take them away because your car is the wrong shade of green or some crap.

NH, on the other hand, bring the guns. Transporting through Ma is perfectly legal under the interstate transport laws; so long as it is legal for the person transporting them to possess them in the originating state and the destination state. There is more to it than that, but that is the pertinent portion for this discussion... don't hang around too much on your way north or back south, and you'll have no problems.

Yeah I don't think it's worth it for her to risk it.
 
Yeah I don't think it's worth it for her to risk it.
If the gun and magazine are legal for you to posess with your LTC, you could meet her at the border and take posession of the gun. I think she'd be ok for RI since she was transporting to a range. The statute doesn't specify it has to be in RI. You would have to control the gun in MA until you got back to the border.

I'll answer your PM later tonite.
 
If the gun and magazine are legal for you to posess with your LTC, you could meet her at the border and take posession of the gun. I think she'd be ok for RI since she was transporting to a range. The statute doesn't specify it has to be in RI. You would have to control the gun in MA until you got back to the border.

I'll answer your PM later tonite.

Yeah the 17 round magazines are definitely not legal for me to possess in MA but the gun itself is. Good to know. Thanks.
 
Maybe get a couple of MA cripple-mags for her to use. Then make sure she leaves the 17 round ones at home.

I was thinking the same thing, I was already looking at what the market price for SR9 10 round mags are. The website I bought my wilson combat 1911 mags, are charging $28 per SR9 mag plus $2 for shipping, so $30 isn't too bad I guess.

I just got off the phone with her earlier and she said she most likely wouldn't bring it into MA only if she had an issue with the gun and wanted me to take a look at it, and maybe bring it to my local range. Then she called me back concerned, "Okay so I pulled the slide back and it wouldn't stay back like it did earlier" I asked her if there was an empty magazine in the gun and of course she said no there isn't, then proceeded to explain how all that stuff works on a handgun lol. The joys of being a new gun owner haha. She's all excited though, she got some hornady defensive ammo and a box of winchester target ammo. I told her I'm jealous that she gets to own new 17 round magazines and I can't.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom