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Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Maintaining Records of Gun Sales in Rhode Island.’ Gun Sales. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 22 December

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Retention of Sales and Background Check Records in Rhode Island

Rhode Island requires all sellers of handguns, including private sellers, to obtain in triplicate a completed application from the prospective purchaser and submit the original and one copy of the application by registered mail or delivery in person to the Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police or the chief of police in the city or town in which the person has his or her place of business.1 One of these authorities then conducts a background check on the prospective purchaser. The triplicate copy must be sent by the seller via registered mail within seven days to the Rhode Island Attorney General.

If the police authority finds no disqualifying information on the applicant, or in any case no later than 30 days after the application date, the duplicate and triplicate copies must be destroyed.

The original application will be stamped as received by the background check authority and returned to the handgun seller. The seller is required to retain the original copy of the application with the other records of sale for six years.

Any person, firm or corporation selling firearms (except wholesale dealers selling to licensed retail dealers) must maintain a register of the sales of all firearms. The section requires that at the time of sale, the seller record the following in the register:

- The date of sale;
- The name, age and residence of the purchaser; and
- The caliber, make, model, and manufacturer's number on the firearm.

This register must be open "at all reasonable hours for the mandatory monthly inspection" by state and local police officials…

[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]

ID: Q7100

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