Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-50 (2026)

Firing without landowner’s permission — Firing in compact area

✓ current as of July 2026
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(a) Every person, not being at the time under military duty, who shall discharge any firearm, “BB gun”, or other contrivance arranged to discharge shot, bullets, arrows, darts, or other missiles within the compact part of any city or town, or who shall discharge a firearm or other contrivance elsewhere, except upon land owned or occupied by him or her or by permission of the owner or occupant of the land on or into which he or she may shoot, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be subject to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500), or one year in prison, or both; provided, that any city or town may by ordinance permit the discharge on non-posted land.

(b) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the owner of land who uses, or who gives permission to another to use without charge, a recurve, compound or longbow, provided that they are not used within two hundred fifty feet (250′) of a dwelling house.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2004–2024 · leading case: Mosby v. Devine, 851 A.2d 1031 (R.I. 2004).
Mosby v. Devine, 851 A.2d 1031 (R.I. 2004). · cites it 4× “[27] Section 11-47-50. [28] Section 11-47-49.1.”
State v. Jose Lopez, 129 A.3d 77 (R.I. 2016). “2(a); and Count Nine, discharging a firearm within the compact part of the City of Providence, in violation of § 11-47-50. The state dismissed Counts Four, Seven, Eight, Nine, and the domestic element of *80 Count Two, pursuant to Rule 48(a) of the Superior Court Rules of…”
State v. John H. Silva, 84 A.3d 411 (R.I. 2014). “2(b)(2) (Counts Three & Four); carrying a handgun on his person without a license in violation of § ll-47-8(a) (Count Five); and discharging a firearm within a compact area in violation of § 11-47-50 (Count Six). In March of 2011, a jury trial was held in Providence County…”
United States v. Andruchuk, 122 F.4th 17 (1st Cir. 2024). “See R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-50. Meanwhile, a federal investigation was gathering steam.”
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