(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.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-50

  • Firearm: includes any machine gun, pistol, rifle, air rifle, air pistol, "blank gun" "BB gun" or other instrument from which steel or metal projectiles are propelled, or that may readily be converted to expel a projectile, except crossbows, recurve, compound, or longbows, and except instruments propelling projectiles that are designed or normally used for a primary purpose other than as a weapon. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
  • Person: includes an individual, partnership, firm, association, or corporation. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
  • town: may be construed to include city; the words "town council" include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9

(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.

History of Section.
G.L. 1896, ch. 110, § 3; G.L. 1909, ch. 134, § 3; G.L. 1923, ch. 177, § 3; G.L. 1938, ch. 406, § 3; P.L. 1954, ch. 3280, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 11-47-40; G.L. 1956, § 11-47-50; P.L. 1959, ch. 75, § 1; P.L. 1975, ch. 278, § 1; P.L. 1991, ch. 333, § 1.