Tennessee Gun Laws
Gun Laws Overview
RIFLES & SHOTGUNS | HANDGUNS | |
---|---|---|
Permit to Purchase | No | No |
Registration of Firearms | No | No |
Licensing of Owners | No | No |
Permit to Carry | No | No |
The list and map below are included as a tool to assist you in validating your information. We have made every effort to report the information correctly, however reciprocity and recognition agreements are subject to frequent change. The information is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law and does not include: restrictions that may be placed on non-resident permits, individuals under the age of 21, qualifying permit classes, and/or any other factor which may limit reciprocity and/or recognition. For any particular situation, a licensed local attorney must be consulted for an accurate interpretation. YOU MUST ABIDE WITH ALL LAWS: STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL. |
STATE STATUS | |
---|---|
Castle Doctrine | Enacted |
No-Net Loss | Enacted |
Right to Carry Confidentiality | Provisions Enacted |
Right to Carry in Restaurants | Partial Ban |
Right To Carry Laws | No Permit Required |
Right To Carry Reciprocity and Recognition | Outright Recognition |
Right to Keep & Bear Arms State Constitutional Provisions | With Provisions |
Laws on Purchase, Possession and Carrying of Firearms
Purchase
Subject to some exceptions, it is unlawful to sell or transfer a handgun to any person who is intoxicated or who is prohibited from gun ownership under the law. MORE |
Possession
There is no state permit requirement for the possession of rifles, shotguns, or handguns. MORE |
Carrying
It is unlawful for any person to carry “with the intent to go armed” a firearm or a club. The burden is on the state to show an “intent to go armed.” MORE |
Machine Guns and Antique Firearms
Firearm means any weapon designed, made or adapted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive or any device readily convertible to that use, including handguns, long guns, and all other weapons which meet the definition except “Antique Firearms” as defined by Federal law. MORE |
Preemption
Local regulation of firearms and ammunition preempted by state regulation -- Actions against firearms or ammunition manufacturers, trade associations or dealers MORE |
Range Protection
A person who operates or uses a sport shooting range is not subject to civil or criminal liability for noise or noise pollution, nuisance or any other claim not involving physical injury to another human, resulting from the operation or use of the sport shooting range... MORE |
Miscellaneous
It is an offense while committing or attempting to commit a crime of violence to possess or use restricted ammunition, defined as “any cartridge containing a bullet coated with a plastic substance with other than a lead or lead alloy core or a jacketed bullet with other than a lead or lead alloy core or a cartridge of which the bullet itself is wholly composed of a metal or metal alloy other than lead.” Restricted ammunition does not include shotgun shells or solid plastic bullets. MORE |
Note
1. A handgun is unloaded if there is not a cartridge in the chamber of the handgun; there is not a cartridge in the cylinder of the handgun if the handgun is a revolver, or the handgun and the ammunition for such handgun, are not carried on the minor, or are not in such close proximity that the minor could readily gain access to the handgun and ammunition and load the handgun. Otherwise, a firearm is unloaded if there is no ammunition in the chamber, clip or magazine, and no clip or magazine is in the immediate vicinity of the firearm.
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Friday, April 11, 2003
On a 5-3 vote this past Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed SB 1531, legislation that includes Tennessee ...
Friday, April 4, 2003
NRA members and other gun owners must take action to save a number of pro-gun bills in Tennessee. ...
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
Today, April 1, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Protections will consider two important bills. HB 452, sponsored ...
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
Tennessee State Rep. Ben West is sponsoring 22 bills this session that deal in some way with firearms. ...
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
A masked man armed with knives approached a pharmacist and demanded narcotics, but the pharmacist dispensed lead instead. ...
Saturday, March 1, 2003
Billy John Brown was just trying to get away from the man attempting to steal his brand-new Ford ...
Wednesday, January 1, 2003
Mack and Wanda Crawford were awakened about 1:40 a.m. by a thump in the night. When Mack Crawford ...
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
A series of proposed bills that would relax weapons standards for 130,000 Tennesseans who have received permits since ...
Monday, November 4, 2002
Charlton Heston looked out over several hundred National Rifle Association members at the Opryland Resort & Convention Center ...
Friday, November 1, 2002
Raleigh, Tenn., resident Jeffrey Rushing fired shots at two men who broke into his home, killing one. The ...