In October of 1996, the Department of Safety began issuing handgun carry permits pursuant to Public Chapter 905. Previous to this change, handgun carry permits were issued by local sheriff's departments. Since October 1996, the Department of Safety has issued almost 70,000 handgun carry permits.

Applicants are required to be a resident of the State of Tennessee;

Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age;

Applicants shall not have been convicted of any felony offense punishable for a term exceeding one (1) year;

Shall not be a fugitive from justice;

Shall not have been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions;

Shall not be an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States;

Applicants shall be a citizen of the United States, and should not have renounced their citizenship;

Shall not be currently the subject of any order of protection;

Shall not be an unlawful user of or addicted to alcohol or any controlled substance;

Shall not have been a patient in a rehabilitation program or hospitalized for alcohol or controlled substance abuse or addiction within ten (10) years from the date of application;

Shall not have been adjudicated as mental defective; has not been committed to or hospitalized in a mental institution; has not had a court appoint a conservator for the applicant by reason of a mental defect; has not been judicially determined to be disabled by reason of a mental illness, development disability or other mental incapacity; and has not, within seven (7) years from the date of application, been found by a court to pose an immediate substantial likelihood of serious harm, as defined in T.C.A. § 33-6-14, because of mental illness;

Shall not have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence as defined in 18 U.S.C.A. 921 (33);

Shall not be receiving social security disability benefits by reason of alcohol dependence, drug dependence or mental disability;

Shall not have been convicted of the offense of stalking;

The applicant has not been convicted of the offense of driving under the influence of an intoxicant in this or any other State two (2) or more times within ten (10) years from the date of application and that none of such convictions has occurred within five (5) years from the date of application or renewal.

Applicant shall submit proof of the successful completion of a department approved Handgun Safety Course with in the past six (6) months. Call (615) 251-8590 to find out locations and phone numbers of schools near you.

Submit application at one of the twenty-four (24) Driver License Exam Station locations. Appointments are required.

Applicant is required to present a photo ID to the department at the time of filing the application.

Applicant shall be required to be fingerprinted at the time the application is filed with the department.

NOTE: Applicant should consult TCA Chapter 17, Part 13 for information on locations where handguns are prohibited.

RECIPROCITY

Under a reciprocity agreement, a Tennessee permit holder would be able to carry his or her handgun into any other reciprocity state.

Tennessee Handgun Carry Permittees should contact the reciprocity state for information on carrying such handgun prior to entering the reciprocity state.

Tennessee currently has reciprocity agreements with seven states: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Applications are received in the Handgun Carry Permit Office, and reviewed

Proper documentation is forwarded to three (3) different agencies: (TBI, FBI, County Sheriff).

Upon a name search approval from TBI, the permit can be issued within ninety (90) days from date of application.

Permit will be valid for four (4) years from date of issue.

The permit shall entitle the permittee to carry any handgun - which the permittee legally owns or possesses.

The permittee shall have the permit in the holder’s immediate possession at all times when carrying a handgun and shall display the permit on demand of a law enforcement officer.

Applications for handgun permits are processed in the following counties at the designated Driver License Stations. Handguns are not permitted in Driver License Stations.

More questions? Answers to  commonly asked questions can be found on the Handgun FAQ page.

Click here to e-mail questions, suggestions or corrections regarding this page.

                                            Disclosure on Non-Representation Link