What do you need to purchase a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island?
A Blue Card is generally required to purchase a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island. It must be noted that the Blue Card is not equivalent to the Concealed Carry Permit.
What is a Blue Card?
A Blue Card (formally titled Possession of a Pistol/Revolver Safety Certificate) is a document that is required to purchase a handgun and/or ammunition in the State of Rhode Island. This document certifies that the buyer/applicant has successfully passed Rhode Island’s requisite safety exam.
Who is eligible to apply for a Blue Card?
Any citizen of the United States and/or lawful resident of Rhode Island who is twenty-one (21) years of age or older, or nonresident member of the United States armed forces, may apply to purchase a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island.
How do you obtain a Blue Card?
You must submit an application and take the Blue Card test, which is administered at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM)’s Permit Application Center located in Providence. The Blue Card test is also administered at dealers and sporting clubs approved by RIDEM. More information including approved locations/testing sites can be found on the RIDEM Website: https://dem.ri.gov/blue-card-exam-form.
There is no cost associated with obtaining a Blue Card. All study materials are FREE.
Are there exceptions to the general requirement that a person must have a Blue Card to purchase a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island?
Yes. If a person has an Orange Card (formally titled a Rhode Island Hunter Education Course Card) they do not need the Blue Card to purchase a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island. Orange Cards are issued by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) Division of Fish & Wildlife Hunter Education Program.
Active military personnel are exempt from the Blue Card requirement. Active military personnel (i.e., active military, active military reserve, or persons on active duty paid status in RI National Guard so long as they remain active status) must produce their active military identification card in lieu of the Blue (or Orange) Card to purchase a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island.
What do you need to carry a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island?
To carry a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island, you must have a Rhode Island License to Carry Concealed Weapon (LCCW) sometimes referred to as Concealed Carry Permit.
What is a LCCW?
A LCCW is a document that is required to carry a pistol or revolver in the State of Rhode Island. According to R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-11, “[t]he license or permit shall be in triplicate in form to be prescribed by the attorney general and shall bear the fingerprint, photograph, name, address, description, and signature of the licensee and the reason given for desiring a license or permit and in no case shall it contain the serial number of any firearm. The original shall be delivered to the licensee.”
Who is eligible to apply for a LCCW?
Any person who is twenty-one (21) years of age or older may apply to carry a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island. Rhode Island is a shall issue state, which means local law enforcement officials “shall issue” a LCCW (concealed carry only) to any applicant who, in addition to being at least twenty-one (21) years old, meets the following criteria:
(1) Applicant must have a bona fide residence or place of business within the city or town he or she is applying in (or has a bona fide residence within the United States and a valid LCCW or its equivalent issued by another State);
(2) Applicant must have “good reason” to fear an injury to his or her person or property or “any other proper reason” for carrying a pistol revolver; and
(3) Applicant must appear to be a suitable person to be licensed.
However, the Attorney General has discretion and “may issue” a LCCW (concealed or open carry) to any applicant who, in addition to being at least twenty-one (21) years old, meets the following criteria:
(1) Applicant must appear to have “a proper showing of need” for carrying a pistol or revolver.
How do you obtain a LCCW?
You must properly submit the application and present certification of qualification from an authorized instructor. The applicant must qualify with a pistol or revolver of a caliber equal to or larger than the one he or she intends to carry. Other qualification requirements are delineated in R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-15.
The cost of obtaining a LCCW is $40.00. Every license or permit shall be valid for four (4) years from the date when issued unless sooner revoked. The fee charged for issuing of the license or permit shall be applied for the use and benefit of the city, town, or state of Rhode Island.
Are there exceptions to the general requirement that a person must have a LCCW to carry a concealed pistol or revolver in Rhode Island?
Law enforcement officials are generally exempt from the LCCW requirement (e.g.,
sheriffs, Rhode Island State Police, airport police, state marshals, certain investigators, etc.). A complete and accurate list of persons exempt from restrictions is detailed in R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-9 and § 11-47-9.1.
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