(a) Whenever any person shall be arraigned before the district court or superior court and shall plead nolo contendere, and the court places the person on probation pursuant to § 12-18-1, then upon the completion of the probationary period, and absent a violation of the terms of the probation, the plea and probation shall not constitute a conviction for any purpose. Evidence of a plea of nolo contendere followed by a period of probation, completed without violation of the terms of the probation, may not be introduced in any court proceeding, except that records may be furnished to a sentencing court following the conviction of an individual for a crime committed subsequent to the successful completion of probation on the prior offense.
(b) This section shall not apply to any person who is sentenced to serve a term in the adult correctional institutions or who is given a suspended or deferred sentence in addition to probation.
(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to persons making applications for the purchase of a firearm, or to persons making applications for permission to carry a concealable weapon, if the crime for which the plea was entered was a crime of violence as defined in § 11-47-2 or the plea was entered pursuant to chapter 28 of title 21. In these cases a plea of nolo contendere followed by probation shall be deemed a conviction for the purposes stated in this subsection.