Permit-less handgun carry for Tennessee easily passes Senate

The state Senate overwhelmingly approved a permit-less handgun carry bill Thursday, setting the stage for law-abiding Tennesseans to go armed without a background check or basic weapon training.

Senators voted 23-9 to pass the bill, sending the measure to the House of Representatives to consider, despite opposition from law enforcement agencies across the state. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association and other groups such as Moms Demand Action opposed the bill throughout the process.

Still, it moved through the Senate and early stages of the House committee process with relative ease.

“This is a bill now, as amended, that recognizes a fundamental right in our constitution that allows a person to carry a handgun without permission from the state,” said Sen. Mike Bell, a Riceville Republican who ferried the measure through the Senate for Gov. Bill Lee.

Bell told senators of an effort by a gun group to derail the legislation by telling his constituents it contained a “Dianne Feinstein” amendment, in reference to the U.S. senator who opposes such handgun measures. The bill applies to people 21 and over, in addition to those active or retired military or who serve in the National Guard or Reserve.

The amendment contains a provision prohibiting people from carrying without a permit if they’ve been convicted of stalking, one DUI within the past five years, two DUIs within the last decade or found to be mentally defective.

Still, the measure allows people who are otherwise eligible to carry handguns without undergoing a background check and as long as they are doing so in a place where handguns are allowed. Private businesses such as restaurants and bars are allowed to continue prohibiting weapons.

The Senate rejected another amendment by Sen. Jeff Yarbro, a Nashville Democrat, who sought to have the state pay the cost of handgun permits, which cost $100 for an enhanced fee with a $65 application fee and $50 for renewals. More than 716,000 people hold state permits.

Bell pointed out Yarbro’s amendment would force the bill to go back through the committee system because of the cost it would pose to the state.