The area's only firearms retailer reopened its doors last Friday, two days after a customer using a rented firearm committed suicide at Sakonnet River Outfitters, a shop and indoor shooting range at 777 Main Road.

Shop owners Jay and Patricia Runci, who acquired the shop in 2021, closed the store for two days following the incident — one in memory of the man and the other as a mental health day for staff and customers present during the tragedy.

Runci, who knew the man personally and patronized his business, said he saw no signs of emotional distress, either during personal interactions nor on video footage of the incident.

"I’ve used his services before," he said. "I sat next to the guy multiple times at the casino, playing cards. He was a nice guy. It was his third visit here; it’s not like it was his first.”

Runci said that while employees can’t dwell on the tragedy and have to keep moving forward, the incident served as an important lesson about mental health.

“It’s never the gun, it's the mental health of the person that’s holding the gun,” he said. “It’s horrible that people feel as though they have no other way out.”

Runci said policy changes are planned at the store, though details have not yet been finalized.

"Safety is my biggest thing here,” Runci emphasized. “We try to teach everybody the right way to do things."

He said that if the staff had noticed any signs or been aware of emotional distress, they would not have rented the man a gun and would have spoken with him privately. Runci also thanked the community for the concern and support the shop has received over the past week.