Tennessee Gun Laws

• Constitutional Carry Expanded (Age 18+): Tennessee operates as a robust constitutional carry state. While permitless carry was initially passed in 2021 for adults 21 and older, following a 2023 lawsuit settlement (Beeler v. Long) and formal 2024 legislative adoption, the state explicitly lowered the permitless carry age. Moving into 2026, any legally eligible adult 18 years of age or older may carry a handgun, openly or concealed, without a permit.
• Dual-Tiered Permitting System: Despite being a permitless carry state, Tennessee retains a unique two-tiered permit system: the Concealed Handgun Carry Permit (CHCP) and the Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit (EHCP). The EHCP is highly sought after because it grants significantly broader carry rights, such as allowing full-time university employees to carry on campus and providing exemptions in certain parks.
• Strict State Preemption: Tennessee aggressively defends its state preemption statutes. Local municipalities, cities (like Nashville or Memphis), and counties are expressly forbidden from enacting their own ordinances that regulate the ownership, possession, carrying, or transportation of firearms.

Tennessee is a "Shall Issue" state. The Department of Safety and Homeland Security administers both the CHCP and the EHCP, which are popular for securing interstate reciprocity and bypassing the federal Gun-Free School Zone Act.

• Minimum Age: 18 years old.
• Training Requirements:
  • CHCP: Requires the completion of an approved 90-minute online or in-person handgun safety course.
  • EHCP: Requires an 8-hour in-person training course taught by a state-certified instructor, encompassing legal instruction and a live-fire range qualification.
• Background Checks: A state and federal (FBI NICS) fingerprint-based background check is mandatory.
• Fingerprints: Electronic LiveScan fingerprints must be submitted.
• Application Fees: The CHCP is $65.00. The EHCP is $100.00 (valid for 8 years). A Lifetime EHCP is available for a one-time fee of $200.00.
• Processing Times: By law, the Department of Safety has up to 90 days to issue or deny the permit after receiving a completed application.

Tennessee maintains a highly permissive hardware framework with no state-level restrictions on modern sporting rifles or magazine capacities.

• Magazine Capacity: No restrictions. Any capacity magazine is completely legal to possess, buy, sell, and carry.
• "Assault Weapon" Bans: None. Tennessee does not regulate or ban semi-automatic firearms based on cosmetic features or military appearance.
• Restricted Ammunition: State law explicitly prohibits the possession or use of armor-piercing handgun ammunition (like Teflon-coated rounds). Standard hollow-point ammunition is fully legal and encouraged for self-defense.
• Banned Models / NFA Items: No specific firearm models are banned by name. Suppressors, SBRs, and machine guns are fully legal provided they comply strictly with federal National Firearms Act (NFA) registration.

Tennessee provides incredibly strong "Stand Your Ground" and "Castle Doctrine" protections, ensuring defenders do not face criminal prosecution for justified actions.

• Stand Your Ground: Yes. Tennessee law explicitly states that a person who is not engaged in unlawful activity and is in a place they have a right to be has no duty to retreat before using deadly force to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury.
• Castle Doctrine: Yes. The law grants an absolute legal presumption that an individual held a reasonable fear of imminent peril if someone unlawfully and forcefully enters their home, business, tent, or occupied vehicle.
• Duty to Retreat: No. State statute explicitly removes any legal duty to retreat from a threat.
• Civil Immunity: Yes. Tennessee provides statutory immunity from civil lawsuits for individuals who use justified force in self-defense, preventing attackers or their surviving relatives from successfully suing for damages.

Transportation laws in Tennessee are highly permissive for handguns, but distinct rules apply to long guns.

• Handguns: Any law-abiding adult 18 or older may transport a loaded handgun, openly or concealed, anywhere inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle without a permit.
• Long Guns: Under Tennessee wildlife and transport laws, rifles and shotguns must be transported with the chamber empty (unloaded in the chamber). The magazine may be loaded and attached, but a round cannot be chambered.
• Federal Gun-Free School Zone Act: Constitutional carry does not satisfy the federal GFSZA exemption. To legally drive within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school in Tennessee without violating federal law, an individual must possess a state-issued EHCP or CHCP.

Tennessee defers to federal law for commercial firearm transactions but utilizes its own state point-of-contact system for background checks.

• Dealer Sales: All purchases through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) require a background check processed through the Tennessee Instant Check System (TICS), managed by the TBI.
• Private Sales: No background check, paperwork, or government registration is required for private, face-to-face firearm transfers between two Tennessee residents.
• Waiting Periods: There are no mandatory waiting periods for purchasing any type of firearm. (However, TICS can legally delay a transaction for up to 15 days if a purchaser has pending criminal charges awaiting final disposition).
• CCW Bypass: A Tennessee permit (EHCP or CHCP) does not bypass the background check at a dealer. You must still undergo a TICS check for every commercial purchase.

Tennessee does not have an Extreme Risk Protection Order (Red Flag) law. Despite a strong push by the Governor in 2023 to pass a modified ERPO following the Covenant School tragedy, the politically conservative legislature aggressively rejected the proposal, meaning there is no civil legal mechanism in the state for the preemptive confiscation of firearms without criminal due process.

Because Tennessee operates under constitutional carry, eligible adults (18+) face no penalties for carrying a handgun without a permit. However, if a "prohibited person" (such as a convicted felon) is caught in possession of a firearm, it is a Class B or C felony carrying heavy state prison sentences.

Carrying a firearm into a statutorily prohibited zone generally carries tiered penalties. Ignoring a compliant "No Weapons" sign on private property is a Class B Misdemeanor, punishable by a $500 fine. Carrying a firearm while consuming alcohol is a Class A Misdemeanor. Carrying a firearm onto K-12 school property without specific authorization is a Class E Felony, punishable by 1 to 6 years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000.