Tennessee law to allow no-permit gun carrying

Concealed Carry

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee has become the latest state that soon will allow most adults 21 and older to carry handguns without first clearing a background check and training after Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed the measure.

“I signed constitutional carry today because it shouldn’t be hard for law-abiding Tennesseans to exercise their (Second Amendment) rights,” Lee, a Republican approaching his 2022 reelection campaign, said in a tweet.

Lee initially proposed the National Rifle Association-backed legislation last year before the coronavirus pandemic caused lawmakers to narrow their focus. He renewed that effort when lawmakers returned for this year’s session, where the GOP-controlled General Assembly easily advanced the measure to his desk.

The measure applies to handguns whether concealed or openly carried, but not to long guns. The law will take effect July 1.

Under the new law, adults 21 and older and military members between 18 and 20 will be allowed to carry open or concealed carry handguns without a permit. The law also increases certain penalties. For example, theft of a firearm — now a misdemeanor that carries a 30-day sentence — will become a felony with a mandatory six-month incarceration. It also makes exceptions for people with certain mental illnesses and criminal convictions.

Nationwide, at least six other states are weighing similar measures, with supporters eager to join nearly 20 others that currently don’t require permits for the concealed carry of handguns. More than 30 states allow for permitless open carry.

Supporters of the bill argued that the proposal includes harsher penalties for those who commit certain gun-related crimes, with the governor setting aside $17.7 million in his budget plan for the bill largely for an anticipated increase in incarceration.

However, law enforcement groups — including police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors — have largely opposed the move and consider the state’s existing permit system an important safeguard for knowing who should or shouldn’t be carrying a gun.

Asked whether recent mass shootings in Georgia, Colorado and other states gave him any concern, Lee has said the increased penalties mean that “we in fact will be strengthening laws that would help prevent gun crimes in the future.”

Members of the Tennessee House debate a bill allowing most adults to carry handguns without obtaining a permit Monday, March 29, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. The bill passed the House, 64-29, and can now be signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Members of the Tennessee House debate a bill allowing most adults to carry handguns without obtaining a permit Monday, March 29, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. The bill passed the House, 64-29, and can now be signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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