Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 11-47 - Weapons

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Binary trigger: means a device that replaces a standard trigger on a semi-automatic weapon and is designed to fire one round on the pull of the trigger and another round upon release of the trigger. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Crime of violence: means and includes any of the following crimes or an attempt to commit any of them: murder, manslaughter, rape, first- or second-degree sexual assault, first- or second-degree child molestation, kidnapping, first- and second-degree arson, mayhem, robbery, burglary, breaking and entering, any felony violation involving the illegal manufacture, sale, or delivery of a controlled substance, or possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a controlled substance classified in schedule I or schedule II of Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• 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
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Fugitive from justice: means any person who has fled from any state, territory, the District of Columbia, or possession of the United States to avoid prosecution for a crime of violence or to avoid giving testimony in any criminal proceeding. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Ghost gun: means a firearm, including a frame or receiver, that lacks a unique serial number engraved or cased in metal alloy on the frame or receiver by a licensed manufacturer, maker, or importer under federal law or markings in accordance with Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• in writing: include printing, engraving, lithographing, and photo-lithographing, and all other representations of words in letters of the usual form. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-16
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Licensing authorities: means the board of police commissioners of a city or town where the board has been instituted, the chief of police or superintendent of police of other cities and towns having a regular organized police force, and, in towns where there is no chief of police or superintendent of police, it means the town clerk who may issue licenses upon the recommendation of the town sergeant, and it also means any other person or body duly authorized by the city or town charter or by state law. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Machine gun: means any weapon that shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Major component: means , with respect to a firearm:

  (i)  The slide or cylinder or the frame or receiver of the firearm; and

  (ii)  In the case of a rifle or shotgun, includes the barrel of the firearm. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2

• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: includes an individual, partnership, firm, association, or corporation. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Pistol: includes any pistol or revolver, and any shotgun, rifle, or similar weapon with overall length less than twenty-six inches (26?), but does not include any pistol or revolver designed for the use of blank cartridges only. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• purchasing: shall be construed accordingly. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Sawed-off rifle: means any rifle with overall length of less than twenty-six inches (26?) or barrel length of less than sixteen inches (16?). See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Sawed-off shotgun: means any shotgun with overall length of less than twenty-six inches (26?) or barrel length of less than eighteen inches (18?). See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• seal: shall be construed to include an impression of the seal made with or without the use of wax or wafer on the paper. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-15
• Sell: includes let or hire, give, lend, and transfer, and "purchase" includes hire, accept, and borrow, and "purchasing" shall be construed accordingly. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• 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
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trigger crank: means a trigger actuator that attaches to the trigger of a semi-automatic weapon and causes the weapon to fire by turning the crank handle. See Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2
• Undetectable firearm: means any firearm that:

  (i)  After removal of all parts, other than a major component, is not as detectable by walk-through metal detectors commonly used at airports or other public buildings; or

  (ii)  Any major component of which, if subjected to inspection by the types of detection devices commonly used at airports or other public buildings for security screening, would not generate an image that accurately depicts the shape of the component; or

  (iii)  Is manufactured wholly of plastic, fiberglass, or through a 3D printing process; or

  (iv)  Upon which the frame or receiver lacks a unique serial number engraved or cased into on the frame or receiver by a licensed manufacturer, maker, or importer under federal law, or markings in accordance with Rhode Island General Laws 11-47-2

• United States: include the several states and the territories of the United States. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-8