A closer look at Tennessee’s pivotal gun laws
Gun-control advocates sit in the balcony of the Tennessee House of Representatives April 23 to protest legislation to let school employees carry handguns if they meet certain requirements. The bill passed, and Gov. Bill Lee signed it soon after. (Courtesy Marta W. Aldrich/Chalkbeat)
Restrictions on Tennessee gun owners have loosened in the past decade, and the state’s Legislature shows no signs of changing that trajectory.
Two laws have received particular focus: the 2013 law that allowed handgun-carry permit holders to transport and store guns and ammunition in their cars and the 2021 law that allowed most Tennesseans to carry a loaded or unloaded handgun, either openly or concealed, without a permit.
This story is part of The Daily Memphian’s “Point of Impact” series about gun violence and its effects on Memphis. The series is running throughout the month of October in advance of the November election.
In 2024, legislators voted to allow teachers to carry firearms on school property. This came after the March 2023 mass shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School where three children and three adults died.
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Julia Baker
Julia Baker covers Memphis and Shelby County’s law enforcement agencies and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. A lifelong Memphian, Julia graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
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