Firearm law reference

Tennessee Gun Laws: Complete Guide

A practical overview of Tennessee firearm laws affecting private transfers, purchases, carrying, transportation, storage, and ownership.

Tennessee permitless carry applies to handguns and requires lawful possession, lawful presence, and satisfaction of statutory qualification conditions. Optional enhanced and concealed permits have different privileges, training, reciprocity, and school-related consequences.

Tennessee Gun Law Quick Facts

Start with the three rules most people need. The full comparison table covers the remaining purchase, carry, ownership, and restriction topics.

Minimum purchase age: Depends on firearm and seller
A licensed dealer must sell a handgun to someone 21 or older but can sell a rifle or shotgun to someone 18 or older; Tennessee's own juvenile-transfer restrictions on handguns apply regardless of the seller. See the handgun and rifle/shotgun comparison table below for the full breakdown. [7][9]
Permitless concealed carry: Yes, for qualifying people
A person who meets the enhanced-permit qualification conditions, lawfully possesses the handgun, and is lawfully present may generally carry it openly or concealed without applying for a permit; age and military exceptions require careful review. [6][2]
Open carry: Generally legal for qualifying people
A qualifying person may generally openly carry a lawfully possessed handgun without a permit; the concealed-only permit does not authorize open carry under its terms. [6][1]

Swipe horizontally to read the full table.

Law	Status	What it means
Private sale background check	Not generally required	Tennessee exempts occasional sales of used or second-hand firearms by people not engaged in the firearm business from the state dealer background-check requirement. [5][8]
FFL required for private transfers	Generally no	An ordinary occasional intrastate private transfer generally need not use an FFL; interstate transfers ordinarily require dealer routing. [5][8]
Purchase permit	No general requirement	Tennessee does not require a general permit before acquiring an ordinary firearm. [5][7]
Waiting period	No state waiting period	Tennessee imposes no separate waiting period after a lawful sale is approved. [5][10]
Firearm registration	No general requirement	Tennessee has no general registry of ordinary privately owned firearms. [7]
Firearm owner license	No general requirement	No recurring state license is generally required merely to own an ordinary firearm. [7]
Handgun carry permits	Optional; enhanced and concealed	Tennessee issues optional enhanced permits for open or concealed carry and concealed-only permits, with different training, location, reciprocity, and duration rules. [1][3][4]
Vehicle carry	Generally allowed	A person lawfully possessing a firearm may generally keep or carry it in a personally owned vehicle, subject to prohibited-person, school, parking, property, and conduct rules. [7][6]
Magazine capacity	No state limit	Tennessee imposes no general magazine-capacity limit. [7]
Assault weapons	No state ban	Tennessee has no general assault-weapon ban for commonly owned semiautomatic firearms. [7]
NFA firearms	Federal registration defense	Tennessee restricts machine guns, short-barreled firearms, suppressors, and other prohibited weapons, but lawful federal registration or authorization supports statutory defenses; all federal rules remain mandatory. [7][11]
Extreme risk protection orders	No general state law	Tennessee has no general extreme risk firearm protection order process, although protection orders and other disqualifications can restrict possession. [7][2]
Safe storage	No universal mandate	Tennessee has no general locking mandate for every firearm in a private home, though providing access to juveniles or prohibited people can create liability. [7]
Lost or stolen reporting	No general state deadline	Tennessee imposes no general statewide deadline on an ordinary owner to report a lost or stolen firearm. [7]
State preemption	Broad	Tennessee broadly preempts local firearm and ammunition regulation while preserving listed authority over discharge, government property, zoning, and other matters. [7]
Bill of sale	Not generally required	A bill of sale is not generally required for a lawful occasional intrastate private transfer, though it cannot cure an illegal transfer. [5][8]
Castle doctrine / no duty to retreat	Yes, with civil immunity for justified force	Tennessee presumes a person's fear of imminent danger was reasonable when someone unlawfully and forcibly enters an occupied residence, business, or vehicle, imposes no general duty to retreat before using force anywhere the person has a legal right to be, and grants civil immunity for force that qualifies as justified self-defense. [15][17]

Handgun and Rifle/Shotgun Rules in Tennessee

Tennessee law treats handguns differently from rifles and shotguns in a few specific places, mainly around dealer purchase age and carrying without a permit. Topics not listed here, such as private-sale background checks or felony-possession bans, apply the same way to both firearm types.

Topic	Handguns	Rifles & shotguns
Minimum age to buy from a licensed dealer	21	18 [9][7]
Carrying in public without a permit	Allowed openly or concealed for a qualifying person 21 or older (18 for active-duty service members and honorably discharged veterans) under Tennessee's permitless-carry law	No permit has ever been required to carry a rifle or shotgun, but Tennessee's general unlawful-carrying-weapons offense can still apply to carrying one loaded in public with intent to go armed outside statutory exceptions such as hunting or a person's own propertyTennessee's permitless-carry statute was written specifically around handguns; confirm current statute text before relying on this for a firearm type not addressed here. [6][7]
Minimum age to buy ammunition from a dealer	21 for handgun ammunition	18 for rifle or shotgun ammunition [9][7]

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Tennessee Bill of Sale Find an FFL Guns for Sale in Tennessee

Private Sales and Transfers

Quick answer

An occasional lawful intrastate private transfer generally needs neither an FFL nor a state background check. [5][8]

The exemption applies to occasional transfers by people not engaged in the firearm business. Verify identity, residency, age, and eligibility; interstate transfers ordinarily require an FFL. [5][8]
It is a separate state offense to knowingly sell or otherwise transfer a firearm to someone the seller knows is prohibited by state or federal law from owning, possessing, or purchasing one, and a separate offense for the prohibited buyer to knowingly attempt the purchase. A seller who transfers a firearm to a person the seller knows has been judicially committed to a mental institution or adjudicated a mental defective is likewise exposed unless that person's rights have been restored. [7]
A parent, guardian, or other adult who intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly provides a handgun to a juvenile, or who permits a juvenile to possess one, can face liability if the adult knows of a substantial risk the juvenile will use it to commit a felony; the general juvenile handgun-possession ban has separate defenses for supervised hunting, licensed hunting or trapping, firearms-safety instruction, and organized competition. [7]

Do not rely on the private-sale exemption when activity amounts to dealing. [5][8]
Use an FFL for interstate or uncertain transfers. [8]
Do not sell or give a firearm to anyone known to be a prohibited person, a felon, or a juvenile outside a statutory exception. [7]

Buying a Firearm

No state purchase permit, waiting period, or registry applies. Tennessee dealers use the TBI system for state and federal checks and apply federal age rules. [5][10][9]
A Tennessee handgun carry permit is not itself a purchase permit, but a valid permit can let a dealer complete a NICS-exempt transaction in some circumstances because the permit already reflects a qualifying background check; buyers should confirm current dealer practice rather than assume the permit replaces the federal form. [1][10]
Federal dealer minimums generally require age eighteen to buy rifles and shotguns and twenty-one to buy handguns, handgun ammunition, and other firearms; Tennessee's separate juvenile-transfer restrictions on handguns apply regardless of the seller. [9][7]

Ownership and Prohibited Persons

Tennessee has no general owner license or ERPO statute. State and federal disqualifications, domestic-violence and protection orders, and mental-health restrictions remain enforceable. [7][2][10]
State law separately bars firearm possession by a person convicted of a felony involving the use or attempted use of force, violence, or a deadly weapon, and by a person convicted of a felony drug offense; violating this ban is a Class E felony that becomes a Class B felony if the underlying conviction was itself a violent felony. Other felony convictions can also disqualify a person under the general handgun-permit and possession statutes even when the more severe felony-specific ban does not apply. [7]
Restoring general civil rights of citizenship under Title 40 does not, by itself, restore firearm rights. A person may instead need a judicial certificate of restoration of firearm rights, which remains unavailable for convictions involving violence or drug trafficking, or a pardon or expungement; anyone relying on an old conviction should confirm current eligibility rather than assume a completed sentence or restored voting rights is enough. [13]

Do not assume completed probation or restored voting rights automatically restores firearm rights. [13]
Protective orders, qualifying mental-health commitments, and federal disqualifications under 18 U.S.C. 922(g) can independently bar possession even without a Tennessee conviction. [7][10]

Concealed and Open Carry

Qualifying people may carry a handgun openly or concealed without a permit when they lawfully possess it and are in a place where they have a right to be. Optional enhanced and concealed permits add reciprocity and differing statutory privileges. [6][1][4]
Permitless carry generally requires the carrier to be at least twenty-one, or at least eighteen if an active-duty service member or an honorably discharged veteran, and to be legally entitled to purchase or possess the handgun under both state and federal law. A person who is otherwise eligible to buy a handgun in a private sale but does not meet the carry-specific age or status conditions can still be charged for carrying it in public, so eligibility to purchase is not the same as eligibility to carry. [7][2]
Tennessee's two optional permits serve different purposes. The enhanced handgun carry permit authorizes open or concealed carry of any handgun the holder legally owns or possesses and requires an approved safety course with live-fire training; the concealed handgun carry permit only authorizes carrying concealed, cannot be used to carry on school or university property, and follows a separate application track under SF-1613 with recurring name-based background checks. Both run for eight years, and a no-expiration lifetime option is available for the enhanced permit. [1][3]

First-time applicants must be fingerprinted; renewals, duplicates, and 8-year-to-lifetime upgrades generally do not require new fingerprints. [3]
Military applicants with documented handgun training, POST certification, or qualifying law-enforcement or security training can be exempt from some or all of the range and classroom requirements. [3][1]
Tennessee recognizes another state's facially valid handgun permit on its terms, but a new resident must obtain a Tennessee permit within six months of establishing residency. [4]

Self-Defense and the Castle Doctrine in Tennessee

Quick answer

Tennessee's constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms for common defense, its self-defense statute presumes a person's fear was reasonable when someone unlawfully and forcibly enters an occupied home, business, or vehicle, and the state imposes no general duty to retreat anywhere the person has a legal right to be. Tennessee also grants civil immunity for force that qualifies as justified self-defense, though a court still has to find the force was actually justified before that immunity applies. [14][15][17]

Tennessee Constitution, Article I, Section 26, protects the right of citizens to keep and bear arms for their common defense, while allowing the legislature to regulate the wearing of arms to prevent crime. [14]
Tennessee Code Section 39-11-611 generally justifies using force, and in some cases deadly force, when and to the degree a person reasonably believes it is immediately necessary to protect against another's unlawful force, including an imminent danger of death, serious bodily injury, or grave sexual abuse. A person who is not committing a felony or Class A misdemeanor and who has a legal right to be present has no duty to retreat before using that force, and the no-retreat rule is not limited to the home; it applies anywhere the person is lawfully present. [15]
The statute also presumes a person's fear of imminent danger was reasonable when someone unlawfully and forcibly enters, or attempts to enter, the person's occupied residence, business, dwelling, or vehicle. That presumption does not apply if the entrant had a legal right to be there (an owner, lessee, or resident without a protective order against them), was a law enforcement officer performing official duties who identified themselves as such, or if the person claiming the presumption was engaged in unlawful activity or using the dwelling, business, or vehicle to further unlawful activity. [15]
Tennessee Code Section 39-11-614 lets a person in lawful possession of property use non-deadly force to prevent or stop a trespass or unlawful interference with personal property, but deadly force to protect property alone is not otherwise justified. An amendment effective July 1, 2026, added a narrower exception allowing deadly force against a person actually committing arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, or aggravated cruelty to animals; this is a recent change and its practical scope has not yet been tested in Tennessee courts. [16]

The castle-doctrine presumption can be lost entirely if the person claiming it was committing a felony or Class A misdemeanor at the time, even if the other statutory conditions are met. [15]
Deadly force to protect property alone remains narrow; do not assume the 2026 property-defense amendment covers an ordinary trespass or theft that does not rise to arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, or aggravated cruelty to animals. [16]

Important notice: Tennessee Code Section 39-11-622 goes further than many states: a person whose use or threatened use of force is justified under Sections 39-11-611 through 39-11-614 is generally immune from civil liability for that use of force, with an exception for force against an identified law enforcement officer performing official duties. That immunity is not automatic — the defendant must first fairly raise that the force was justified, and a court, not the defendant's own belief, decides whether the immunity applies. Every self-defense situation is fact-specific and high-stakes; get individualized legal advice before relying on any of this content in an actual confrontation. [17]

Transportation and Vehicles

Lawful firearm possession in personally owned vehicles is broadly protected, but school zones, posted property, employer parking rules, intoxication, and conduct offenses remain important. Federal safe passage may protect qualifying interstate transport. [7][6][12]
A permit holder or a person who lawfully carries a handgun keeps broad vehicle-storage protection: while inside the vehicle, the firearm or ammunition just needs to be kept from ordinary observation; while the vehicle is unattended, it must be kept from ordinary observation and locked in the trunk, glove box, or interior of the vehicle or in a container securely affixed to it. Business owners, employers, and property owners generally cannot be held civilly liable merely because a lawfully stored firearm was in a vehicle on their property. [7]
An employer generally cannot discharge or take adverse action against an employee solely for transporting or storing a firearm in the employer's parking area consistent with the vehicle-storage rules; an employee disciplined in violation of that protection has a civil cause of action for an injunction, economic damages, and attorney fees. This protection does not override the separate school-property and school-zone restrictions. [7]

A non-student adult may generally keep a firearm in a private vehicle on school property if it stays in the vehicle and is not handled there. [7]
For qualifying federal interstate safe passage, keep the firearm unloaded and inaccessible from the vehicle's passenger compartment and travel only between places where possession is lawful at both ends. [12]

Restricted Firearms and Magazines

Tennessee has no general magazine limit or assault-weapon ban. NFA-type prohibited weapons require federal registration or authorization and satisfaction of Tennessee's statutory defenses. [7][11]
State law separately lists machine guns and short-barrel rifles and shotguns as prohibited weapons, making unauthorized possession a Class E felony. Full compliance with the National Firearms Act, evidenced by valid registration in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, provides a statutory exception for these items and for suppressors; the exception protects only what the federal registration actually covers, so possessing an unregistered NFA item is not cured by owning other registered firearms. [7][11]

Confirm ATF approval is complete before taking possession of a suppressor, short-barreled firearm, or machine gun; Tennessee's defense tracks federal registration, not the other way around. [11][7]
A separate statutory exception covers exploding targets used for lawful sporting activity by an adult eighteen or older. [7]

Safe Storage and Reporting

No universal home-locking mandate or general owner reporting deadline applies. Secure storage and prompt voluntary reporting remain prudent, especially around juveniles or prohibited people. [7]
Tennessee does not penalize an owner simply for leaving a firearm accessible to an unsupervised minor. Liability instead attaches under the juvenile-handgun statute when a parent or guardian intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly provides a handgun to a juvenile, or knowingly permits possession, while aware of a substantial risk the juvenile will use it to commit a felony. A separate offense applies to an adult who knows a minor illegally possesses a firearm on school property, school athletic facilities, or a public park or playground and fails to intervene or report it. [7]

Store firearms locked and unloaded when children or unauthorized people may have access, even though no statute mandates it for every household. [7]
Report a lost or stolen firearm promptly; there is no state deadline, but a timely report creates a record and can limit liability if the firearm is later misused. [7]

Restricted Locations and Private Property

Schools, judicial proceedings, secured government buildings, posted private property, federal facilities, and other listed places restrict carry. Enhanced permits, concealed permits, and permitless carriers do not always receive identical exceptions. [7][1]
Carrying a weapon on public or private school property, buses, campuses, or athletic facilities is generally a Class E felony carrying possible imprisonment and fines, subject to statutory carve-outs for law enforcement, military duty, and a non-student adult's unhandled firearm secured in a vehicle. A concealed handgun carry permit does not authorize carry on school or university property; treat school-related exceptions as narrower than the general permit privileges. [7][1]
A private property owner or business may exclude firearms with a compliant posted notice, which must display the phrase "NO FIREARMS ALLOWED" at least one inch high and eight inches wide with the statutory citation and a circle-and-slash firearm symbol. Ignoring a valid posted sign can lead to criminal trespass, and refusing to leave after being asked can escalate the charge. [7]

Confirm signage meets the statutory size, wording, and citation requirements before assuming a generic "no guns" sign has legal effect. [7]
Government meetings and buildings can carry separate posted-notice rules distinct from ordinary private property. [7]

State Preemption and Local Rules

Tennessee broadly preempts local firearm regulation, but valid discharge, zoning, government-property, park, and event rules can remain. Posted private-property restrictions also apply statewide. [7]
State law preempts the whole field of firearm, ammunition, and component regulation — including purchase, transfer, taxation, manufacture, ownership, possession, carrying, sale, licensing, registration, storage, and transportation — to the exclusion of city, county, and metropolitan government ordinances. Narrow exceptions let local governments regulate their own employees' or contractors' carry while on duty, regulate discharge within their boundaries where state law does not already authorize it, and regulate the location of sport shooting ranges. [7]

Do not assume a city or county ordinance can add its own permit, registration, or storage requirement; state statute controls those fields exclusively. [7]
Local discharge, zoning, and park rules can still matter even though local governments cannot separately regulate firearm ownership or carry. [7]

Before Completing a Private Firearm Sale in Tennessee

Verify identity, residency, age, and eligibility before an occasional private transfer. [5][8]
Confirm every statutory qualification before relying on permitless handgun carry. [6][2]
Choose an enhanced or concealed permit based on desired privileges and reciprocity. [1][4]
Check schools, posted property, judicial proceedings, and permit-specific exceptions before carrying. [7][1]
Confirm state defenses and federal approval before receiving an NFA firearm. [7][11]
Store firearms securely and keep serial-number records separately. [7]
Confirm current firearm-rights restoration eligibility before relying on an older felony conviction, expungement, or pardon. [13]
Keep vehicle-stored firearms out of ordinary observation and locked when the vehicle is unattended. [7]

Official Tennessee Firearm Law Resources

Handgun Permit Types

Enhanced, concealed, lifetime, and temporary permit privileges.

Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security

Permit Eligibility

Possession and permit disqualifications.

Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security

Handgun Permit FAQ

Age, fingerprinting, renewal, residency, and training guidance.

Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security

Permit Reciprocity

Recognition of Tennessee and out-of-state permits.

Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security

TBI Dealer Guidelines

Background checks, denials, and occasional private-sale exemption.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Permitless Carry Act

Statutory qualifications for open and concealed handgun carry.

Tennessee General Assembly

Tennessee Constitution, Article I, Section 26

State constitutional right to keep and bear arms for common defense.

State of Tennessee

Self-Defense Statute

Justification for force and deadly force, the castle-doctrine presumption, and the no-duty-to-retreat rule.

Tennessee General Assembly

Protection of Property Statute

When force may be used to protect property, including the narrow 2026 deadly-force exception.

Tennessee General Assembly

Civil Immunity Statute

Civil immunity for justified self-defense force, and its law-enforcement exception.

Tennessee General Assembly

Firearm Rights Restoration Opinion

Restoration of firearm rights after a felony conviction, and its limits.

Tennessee Office of the Attorney General

Tennessee Gun Law FAQ

Are background checks required for private gun sales in Tennessee?

Not generally for an occasional lawful intrastate sale by a person not engaged in the firearm business.

[5][8]

What is the minimum age to buy a gun in Tennessee?

A licensed dealer generally must sell a handgun only to someone 21 or older but can sell a rifle or shotgun to someone 18 or older; Tennessee's separate juvenile-transfer restrictions on handguns apply regardless of the seller.

[9][7]

Do you need a permit to buy a gun in Tennessee?

No general state purchase permit is required.

[5][7]

Can you buy a gun in Tennessee if you live in another state?

A federally licensed dealer can generally sell a rifle or shotgun to a resident of another state if the sale complies with the laws of both states, but a handgun sale to a non-resident ordinarily has to route through a dealer licensed in the buyer's home state.

[18][5]

Can you carry concealed without a permit in Tennessee?

Generally yes if you meet the statutory qualification conditions, lawfully possess the handgun, and are in a place where you have a right to be.

[6][2]

Is open carry legal in Tennessee?

Generally yes for a person qualifying for permitless carry or holding an enhanced permit; a concealed-only permit does not itself authorize open carry.

[6][1]

Can you carry a handgun in a vehicle in Tennessee?

Generally yes when lawfully possessed, but school, posted-property, employer, intoxication, and conduct rules can change the result.

[7][6]

Does Tennessee have a waiting period?

No separate state waiting period applies after a lawful sale is approved.

[5][10]

Does Tennessee limit magazines or ban assault weapons?

No general state magazine limit or assault-weapon ban applies.

[7]

Are suppressors legal in Tennessee?

They may be lawful when federally registered and possessed consistently with Tennessee's prohibited-weapons defenses.

[7][11]

Does Tennessee have a red flag law?

Tennessee has no general extreme risk firearm protection order statute, though protection orders and other disqualifications can restrict possession.

[7][2]

Is a bill of sale required for a private gun sale in Tennessee?

No general bill of sale is required, though documenting a lawful transfer is prudent.

[5][8]

Can a felon get gun rights restored in Tennessee?

It depends on the conviction. Restoring general citizenship rights does not itself restore firearm rights, and felonies involving violence or drug trafficking generally cannot use the judicial certificate of restoration; a pardon or qualifying expungement may be the only path in those cases.

[13]

Can you carry a gun on school property in Tennessee?

Generally no. Carrying a weapon on school property, buses, or athletic facilities is a Class E felony, with narrow exceptions for law enforcement, military duty, and a non-student adult's unhandled firearm secured in a vehicle; a concealed handgun carry permit does not authorize carry there.

[7][1]

Does Tennessee have a stand-your-ground law?

Yes. A person who is not committing a felony or Class A misdemeanor and has a legal right to be present has no duty to retreat before using force, including deadly force, and the rule is not limited to the home; it applies anywhere in Tennessee the person is lawfully present.

[15]

Can you use deadly force to protect property in Tennessee?

Generally no — non-deadly force is the rule for an ordinary trespass or interference with property — but an amendment effective July 1, 2026, added a narrow exception allowing deadly force against someone actually committing arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, or aggravated cruelty to animals.

[16]

How do you renew a Tennessee handgun carry permit?

Enhanced and concealed permits generally run for eight years, with a no-expiration lifetime option available for the enhanced permit, and can be renewed through the Department of Safety and Homeland Security; renewals generally do not require new fingerprints.

[1][3]

What disqualifies someone from owning a gun in Tennessee?

Federal law bars possession for felony convictions, certain domestic-violence convictions or protective orders, unlawful drug use, and other listed categories, and Tennessee separately bars possession for a felony conviction involving force, violence, or a deadly weapon, or for a felony drug conviction.

[7][10]

Sources

Educational information only, not legal advice.

GunList does not provide legal advice and does not guarantee that this guide covers every law, exception, court ruling, or local ordinance. Laws and court orders can change quickly. Verify current requirements through official government sources or consult a qualified attorney before possessing, carrying, buying, selling, or transporting a firearm, or before relying on any self-defense or castle-doctrine provision.

Reading or using this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship with GunList, and GunList disclaims liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content. A criminal-law justification for using force does not guarantee protection from civil liability; use-of-force outcomes are fact-specific and high-stakes, so consult a qualified attorney before acting.