Tennessee has modified its laws regarding knives, firearm suppressors (sometimes called “silencers”) and short-barrel rifles and shotguns.  Despite these changes in state laws, federal restrictions remain in effect. Tennessee has long regulated carrying certain knives.  In the 19th Century, laws prohibited carrying concealed bowie knives, Arkansas toothpicks or similar knives.  ...
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Beginning in the late 1800s, Tennessee strictly regulated carrying handguns, by prohibiting carrying pistols “with intent to go armed” in public places. Exceptions were made for on one’s own property or place of business. In 1996, Tennessee adopted a handgun carry permit process. Over the years, the law expanded to ...
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Tennessee laws regarding firearms and restoration of rights for those convicted of felonies has been complicated. The Tennessee legislature has made some things less complicated. Restoration of Rights Tennessee differentiates between persons convicted of felonies involving violence or attempts, use of a deadly weapon or drug offenses, and those convicted ...
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There are often news stories about a child finding a firearm and either shooting themselves or another child. This covers some of the issues in Tennessee involving civil liability for negligent storage of firearms. Over 100 years ago, a Tennessee court held it was “settled law” that a parent may ...
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Tennessee has broad statutes controlling weapons on school property, not just firearms. It is important to know just what is in the statutes. The statutes are very specific. This is only a summary of some Tennessee statutes. In Tennessee, the general rule is that weapons are prohibited on school property ...
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From time to time, the question comes up, can a person who cannot pass a background check to purchase a firearm, legally possess the firearms he already owns? The answer lies in the federal legislation that regulates firearm purchases and possession, chiefly 18 U.S. Code § 922, part of the ...
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New legislation affects local governments wanting to prohibit handgun permit holders from possessing handguns on property owned or controlled by local governments. Public Chapter 0467 is the result of House Bill 508 and Senate Bill 445. Note that it does not apply to property owned by the state. The new ...
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In Tennessee, like most states, estates frequently include the decedent’s firearms. There are legal concerns for the executor1 concerning distributing the firearms to beneficiaries or heirs of an estate. These can involve a beneficiary who is disqualified from possessing a firearm, or too young to take possession. There may even ...
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The federal National Firearms Act (NFA) regulates such items as machine guns, short-barrel rifles and shotguns and suppressors. New regulations, effective July 13, 2016 affect so-called gun trusts and possession of items by the executor of the estate of the owner. For several reasons, gun trusts have become extremely popular ...
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The U.S. Supreme Court has issued an opinion applying the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms to stun guns. The case is Caetano v. Massachusetts. It involved a woman who was carrying a stun gun as protection against a former boyfriend. On one occasion, she had to display ...
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