Tennessee Gun Laws: Can Visitors Carry Their Firearm?

Visitors to the Volunteer State may find that Tennessee gun laws are relatively lenient. Federal law allows travelers to keep their weapons in their vehicles as long as they are locked and secured when going from state to state.

Tennessee is a shall-issue state that allows open carry of guns and carrying concealed weapons with a carry permit. It also recognizes the carry permits from most states. Permit holders can carry handguns into restaurants that post they allow it, but the person cannot consume alcohol. Concealed weapons are not allowed in public parks, airports and other areas prohibited by federal law, and hunting areas.

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If people visiting Tennessee have plans or thoughts about moving to the state, carry permits must be obtained within six months of residency.

Tennessee allows visitors who carry out-of-state permits to have handguns, but the state’s laws take precedence over other states. Tennessee gun laws once stated that firearms should be unloaded, cased, or in plain view in vehicles. A law passed in 2014 allows gun owners with or without permits to keep loaded firearms in their vehicles as long as the weapons are owned legally.

However, only permit holders are allowed to carry loaded firearms outside of their vehicles and onto the street or to their businesses.

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State legislators passed the law as an extension of laws to protect property, which includes vehicles. Residents have laws to keep firearms in their homes. The vehicle law was also enacted for hunters and the transportation of sporting rifles. The state has no restrictions on sporting rifles.

A law to allow people in Tennessee to openly carry firearms in public without a permit was turned down by a state House subcommittee after being passed in the state Senate.

Nearly 44 percent of Tennessee residents are gun owners, according to Guns & Ammo. Tennessee gun laws require no permit to purchase firearms. Although the state tries to remain gun-friendly, an attempt to allow handguns to be carried in state parks failed in the state legislature.

This article does not constitute legal advice. Check the current gun laws before purchasing or traveling with a firearm.

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