Bill Sponsors
Rogers, de la Cruz, E Morgan, and Paolino
Committee
Senate Judiciary
Summary
Select
This legislation changes Rhode Island's weapons laws to establish reciprocity for concealed carry permits. It mandates that Rhode Island recognize concealed handgun permits issued by other states, provided the permit holder is a non-resident aged 21 or older, carries valid identification, and the issuing state has a 24-hour verification system. Additionally, the bill grants active-duty law enforcement officers from other states the right to carry concealed firearms within Rhode Island. It also formally adds the United States Space Force to the list of military branches exempt from certain carrying restrictions.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Ensures that out-of-state permit holders remain subject to all Rhode Island laws and restrictions while visiting, preventing them from bypassing local conduct standards.
- Mandates that recognized permits must come from states with 24-hour verification systems, ensuring that law enforcement can immediately validate the legal status of a weapon carrier.
- Formalizes the recognition of visiting active-duty law enforcement officers, potentially improving coordination and safety protocols between agencies across state lines.
Cons for Progressives
- Undermines strict state-level gun safety legislation by allowing individuals credentialed in states with significantly lower training or background check standards to carry concealed weapons in Rhode Island.
- Increases the number of concealed firearms in public spaces, which many progressives argue correlates with higher risks of accidental shootings and escalation of conflicts.
- Removes the state's sovereignty to vet and approve every individual carrying a lethal weapon within its borders, effectively outsourcing public safety decisions to other jurisdictions.
Pros for Conservatives
- Upholds the Second Amendment right to bear arms by ensuring law-abiding citizens can protect themselves and their families while traveling across state lines.
- Eliminates bureaucratic hurdles and potential legal jeopardy for non-residents and visiting law enforcement officers who legally possess firearms in their home jurisdictions.
- Promotes interstate commerce and tourism by making Rhode Island more welcoming to law-abiding gun owners who might otherwise avoid the state due to restrictive carry laws.
Cons for Conservatives
- Grants the Attorney General specific authority to negotiate agreements, which could allow an anti-gun administration to stall or limit the practical application of reciprocity.
- Imposes a strict requirement for 24-hour instantaneous verification systems, which may inadvertently disqualify valid permits from states that lack that specific technological infrastructure.
- Requires out-of-state visitors to adhere to Rhode Island's specific restrictions, which may be viewed as an infringement on their rights compared to the freedoms they enjoy in their home states.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Gun owners
- Non-resident tourists
- Law enforcement officers
- Attorney General
- Military personnel (Space Force)
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
None
Revenue Generated
None
BillBuddy Impact Ratings
Importance
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Freedom Impact
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Public Services
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Regulatory
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Clarity of Bill Language
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Enforcement Provisions
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Environmental Impact
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Privacy Impact
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Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 01/16/2026 Introduced, referred to Senate Judiciary
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Section 11-47-9 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-47 entitled "Weapons" is hereby amended to read as follows:
11-47-9. Persons exempt from restrictions.
(a) The provisions of § 11-47-8 shall not apply to sheriffs; deputy sheriffs; the superintendent and members of the state police; members of the Rhode Island airport police department; members of the Rhode Island capitol police; Rhode Island state fire marshal; chief deputy state fire marshals; deputy state fire marshals assigned to the bomb squad, and those assigned to the investigation unit; Providence fire department arson investigators, provided that the investigator receiving the permit is a graduate of a police-training academy; correctional officers, chief inspector and inspectors within the office of inspections, within the department of corrections; members of the city or town police force; capitol police investigators of the department of attorney general appointed pursuant to § 42-9-8.1; the witness protection coordinator for the witness protection review board as set forth in chapter 30 of title 12 and subject to the minimum qualifications of § 42-9-8.1; automobile theft investigators of the Rhode Island state police pursuant to § 31-50-1; railroad police while traveling to and from official assignments or while on assignments; conservation officers; or other duly appointed law enforcement officers; nor to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Marine Corps of the United States, the National Guard, or organized reserves, when on duty; nor to members of organizations by law authorized to purchase or receive firearms from the United States or this state, provided these members are at, or going to or from, their places of assembly or target practice; nor to officers or employees of the United States authorized by law to carry a concealed firearm; nor to any civilian guard or criminal investigator carrying sidearms or a concealed firearm in the performance of their official duties under the authority of the commanding officer of the military establishment in the state of Rhode Island where they are employed by the United States; nor to any civilian guard carrying sidearms or a concealed firearm in the performance of their official duties under the authority of the adjutant general where they are employed guarding a national guard facility, provided, that the commanding officer of the military establishment shall have on file with the attorney general of this state a list of the names and addresses of all civilian guards and criminal investigators so authorized; nor to duly authorized military organizations when on duty; nor to members when at, or going to or from, their customary places of assembly; nor to any individual employed in the capacity of warden, associate warden, major, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, correctional officer or investigator at any project owned or operated by a municipal detention facility corporation, including the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility; nor to the regular and/or ordinary transportation of pistols or revolvers as merchandise; nor to any person while transporting a pistol, or revolvers, unloaded from the place of purchase to their residence, or place of business, from their residence to their place of business or from their place of business to their residence, or to a federal firearms licensee for the purpose of sale, to or from a bona fide gunsmith, or firearms repair facility, to any police station or other location designated as a site of a bona fide “gun buy- back” program, but only if said pistol or revolver is unloaded and any ammunition for said pistol or revolver is not readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such vehicle while transporting same and further provided, that in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the passenger compartment, the firearm or the ammunition shall be stored in a locked container.
(b) Persons exempted by the provisions of this section from the provisions of § 11-47-8 shall have the right to carry concealed firearms everywhere within this state; provided, that this shall not be construed as giving the right to carry concealed firearms to a person transporting firearms as merchandise or as household or business goods.
(c) The attorney general shall have the authority to enter into agreements or otherwise formally approve reciprocal recognition with other states that require an agreement to be in place before that state will recognize a Rhode Island attorney general and a city or town police department concealed handgun permit as valid.
(d) The State of Rhode Island shall recognize and honor a concealed handgun or concealed weapon permit or license issued by any other state or county, provided: LC003357 - Page 2 of 4
(1) The permit of license holder is a non-resident who is twenty-one (21) years of age or older;
(2) The reciprocal state or county provides the means for instantaneous verification of the validity of all such permits or licenses within that state or county, accessible twenty-four (24) hours a day;
(3) The permit or license holder has in their possession the concealed handgun or concealed weapon permit or license along with a photo identification issued by a state or government agency and presents for verification the permit of license and identification upon demand by a law enforcement officer; and
(4) The permit or license holder is subject to the same laws and restrictions with respect to carrying a concealed weapon or concealed firearm as a resident of Rhode Island, who is so licensed.
(e) The State of Rhode Island shall recognize an official government issued law enforcement identification card issued to an active-duty law enforcement officer from any other state or county. These individuals shall be exempted from the provisions of § 11-47-8 and shall have the right to carry a concealed firearm everywhere within the state.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
11-47-9. Persons exempt from restrictions.
(a) The provisions of § 11-47-8 shall not apply to sheriffs; deputy sheriffs; the superintendent and members of the state police; members of the Rhode Island airport police department; members of the Rhode Island capitol police; Rhode Island state fire marshal; chief deputy state fire marshals; deputy state fire marshals assigned to the bomb squad, and those assigned to the investigation unit; Providence fire department arson investigators, provided that the investigator receiving the permit is a graduate of a police-training academy; correctional officers, chief inspector and inspectors within the office of inspections, within the department of corrections; members of the city or town police force; capitol police investigators of the department of attorney general appointed pursuant to § 42-9-8.1; the witness protection coordinator for the witness protection review board as set forth in chapter 30 of title 12 and subject to the minimum qualifications of § 42-9-8.1; automobile theft investigators of the Rhode Island state police pursuant to § 31-50-1; railroad police while traveling to and from official assignments or while on assignments; conservation officers; or other duly appointed law enforcement officers; nor to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Marine Corps of the United States, the National Guard, or organized reserves, when on duty; nor to members of organizations by law authorized to purchase or receive firearms from the United States or this state, provided these members are at, or going to or from, their places of assembly or target practice; nor to officers or employees of the United States authorized by law to carry a concealed firearm; nor to any civilian guard or criminal investigator carrying sidearms or a concealed firearm in the performance of their official duties under the authority of the commanding officer of the military establishment in the state of Rhode Island where they are employed by the United States; nor to any civilian guard carrying sidearms or a concealed firearm in the performance of their official duties under the authority of the adjutant general where they are employed guarding a national guard facility, provided, that the commanding officer of the military establishment shall have on file with the attorney general of this state a list of the names and addresses of all civilian guards and criminal investigators so authorized; nor to duly authorized military organizations when on duty; nor to members when at, or going to or from, their customary places of assembly; nor to any individual employed in the capacity of warden, associate warden, major, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, correctional officer or investigator at any project owned or operated by a municipal detention facility corporation, including the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility; nor to the regular and/or ordinary transportation of pistols or revolvers as merchandise; nor to any person while transporting a pistol, or revolvers, unloaded from the place of purchase to their residence, or place of business, from their residence to their place of business or from their place of business to their residence, or to a federal firearms licensee for the purpose of sale, to or from a bona fide gunsmith, or firearms repair facility, to any police station or other location designated as a site of a bona fide “gun buy- back” program, but only if said pistol or revolver is unloaded and any ammunition for said pistol or revolver is not readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such vehicle while transporting same and further provided, that in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the passenger compartment, the firearm or the ammunition shall be stored in a locked container.
(b) Persons exempted by the provisions of this section from the provisions of § 11-47-8 shall have the right to carry concealed firearms everywhere within this state; provided, that this shall not be construed as giving the right to carry concealed firearms to a person transporting firearms as merchandise or as household or business goods.
(c) The attorney general shall have the authority to enter into agreements or otherwise formally approve reciprocal recognition with other states that require an agreement to be in place before that state will recognize a Rhode Island attorney general and a city or town police department concealed handgun permit as valid.
(d) The State of Rhode Island shall recognize and honor a concealed handgun or concealed weapon permit or license issued by any other state or county, provided: LC003357 - Page 2 of 4
(1) The permit of license holder is a non-resident who is twenty-one (21) years of age or older;
(2) The reciprocal state or county provides the means for instantaneous verification of the validity of all such permits or licenses within that state or county, accessible twenty-four (24) hours a day;
(3) The permit or license holder has in their possession the concealed handgun or concealed weapon permit or license along with a photo identification issued by a state or government agency and presents for verification the permit of license and identification upon demand by a law enforcement officer; and
(4) The permit or license holder is subject to the same laws and restrictions with respect to carrying a concealed weapon or concealed firearm as a resident of Rhode Island, who is so licensed.
(e) The State of Rhode Island shall recognize an official government issued law enforcement identification card issued to an active-duty law enforcement officer from any other state or county. These individuals shall be exempted from the provisions of § 11-47-8 and shall have the right to carry a concealed firearm everywhere within the state.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.