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, March 1, 1991
After eight burglaries in less than a month, Madilen Brown, 73, of Shelbyville, Tenn., had enough. When her ...
Friday, February 1, 1991
Waking to the sound of breaking glass early one morning, William Tate of Memphis, Tenn., grabbed the loaded ...
Tuesday, January 1, 1991
Hearing a robbery in progress in her Centerville, Tenn., delicatessen, Linda Baker got her gun, emerged from a ...
Tuesday, January 1, 1991
Even though he is 82 and legally blind, Dennis McCaster could see well enough to stop a woman ...
Thursday, November 1, 1990
Memphis, Tenn., convenience store owner Jacob Poochoon was at the counter when a man entered, pulled a gun ...
Friday, June 1, 1990
When Cora Moore of Chattanooga, Tenn., was awakened by noises outside her front door late at night, she ...
Tuesday, May 1, 1990
Dr. Dorothy Williams of East Memphis, Tenn., was getting ready to unload groceries from her car when she ...
Sunday, April 1, 1990
Edward Denton of Cleveland, Tenn., heard someone kicking at his front door, and the resident was able to ...
Thursday, March 1, 1990
Arvie Young of Memphis, Tenn., awoke and saw a light on in her home that she knew she'd ...
Wednesday, November 1, 1989
A would-be robber walked into a Murfreesboro, Tenn., laundromat and struck the laundry clerk on the head with ...