Bill Analysis S2395 legalizes the purchase, possession, and use of stun guns and electronic dart guns by adult Rhode Islanders, bringing state law into compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Caetano v. Massachusetts (2016), which held that stun guns are protected arms under the Second Amendment. The Key Change The bill removes stun…
Bill Analysis S2285 increases the penalties for carrying or possessing stolen firearms. It targets the criminal element that fuels Rhode Island’s gun violence without placing any new burden on lawful owners. The Key Change The bill raises penalties under § 11-47-3.1 (carrying a stolen firearm while committing a crime of violence) from a 5-to-15-year range…
Bill Analysis H8070 amends Rhode Island’s weapons law to allow students, professors, and other employees of public and private colleges and universities to carry a stun gun or pepper spray for self-defense. Under current law, stun guns are prohibited under the same statute that bans blackjacks, metal knuckles, and bludgeons, with no exception for personal…
Bill Analysis S2086 exempts firearm safety equipment from Rhode Island’s sales and use tax, making secure storage more affordable for gun owners across the state. The Key Change The bill adds a new exemption to § 44-18-30, Rhode Island’s list of gross receipts exempt from sales and use tax. The exemption covers firearm safety equipment…
Bill Analysis S2153 establishes concealed carry reciprocity in Rhode Island for non-resident permit holders, allowing law-abiding gun owners from other states with valid carry permits to carry in Rhode Island under the same rules that apply to Rhode Island permit holders. The Key Change The bill adds new subsections to § 11-47-9, which governs persons…
Bill Analysis S2306 makes two changes to Rhode Island firearms law: it removes the prohibition on manufacturing, selling, and purchasing short-barrel rifles and shotguns, and it legalizes suppressor use for licensed hunters. The Key Change The bill amends § 11-47-20 to remove “manufacture, sell, purchase” from the list of prohibited acts involving silencers on short-barrel…
Bill Analysis S2283 creates a new § 9-1-55, a civil cause of action allowing licensed firearm carriers who suffer injury on commercial property with a no-firearms posting to sue the property owner when the injury could have been avoided if they had been allowed to carry. The Key Change A licensed carrier who is injured…
Bill Analysis S2277 converts Rhode Island’s carry permit system to shall-issue for both city/town (§ 11-47-11) and Attorney General (§ 11-47-18) permits, establishes 90-day processing deadlines, standardizes application requirements, and makes self-defense an explicit lawful reason for a permit. See also S2164, a similar bill with additional provisions including out-of-state reciprocity and suppressor hunting. The…
Bill Analysis S2164 is the most comprehensive carry reform bill in the 2026 Senate. It converts Rhode Island’s may-issue permit system to shall-issue, recognizes out-of-state carry permits, legalizes short-barrel rifles and shotguns, allows suppressor use in hunting, and protects permit holder privacy. The Key Change The bill rewrites both § 11-47-11 (city/town permits) and §…
Bill Analysis S2163 is the Senate companion to H7553. It creates a formal, enforceable appeal process for Rhode Islanders whose carry permit applications are denied, requiring written reasons, an in-person hearing, Superior Court review, and attorney fees for applicants who prevail against bad-faith denials. The Key Change The bill creates § 11-47-8.2, establishing a two-step…