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HB0167 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 13, relative to the offense of reckless endangerment.

Children Crime Firearms
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Mitchell, Campbell
Last action
2025-04-01
Official status
Taken off notice for cal in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee of Judiciary Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about financial expenditures or future legislative actions, which are mentioned in the candidate explanation.

Reckless Endangerment with Firearms

This law makes it a felony for someone to recklessly leave a firearm and ammunition unsecured if a child under 13 gets the gun, fires it, and causes injury or death.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds new rules about reckless endangerment when firearms are involved.
  • Makes it a Class E felony if a child under 13 gets an unlocked gun, fires it, and hurts someone.
  • Raises the penalty to a Class C felony if a child under 13 gets an unlocked gun, fires it, and kills someone.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who fail to secure firearms properly
  • Children under 13 years old

Terms To Know

Class E felony
A serious crime that can lead to prison time.
Reckless endangerment
Doing something dangerous without thinking about the harm it might cause.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much money will be spent on enforcing this law.
  • It is unclear if and when the bill will become a law after its current status.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee

  2. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee of Judiciary Committee

  3. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/2/2025

  4. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/2/2025

  5. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  6. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/1/2025

  7. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 4/2/2025

  8. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 4/2/2025

  9. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/31/2025

  10. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/26/2025

  11. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/26/2025

  12. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/19/2025

  13. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  14. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  15. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  16. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  17. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  18. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  19. 2025-01-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that a person commits an offense who recklessly engages in conduct that places or may place another person in imminent danger of death or serio
us bodily injury. Reckless endangerment is generally a Class A misdemeanor. However, when a weapon is involved, the classification can range from a Class E felony to a Class C felony.

This bill adds to the present law by providing that reckless endangerment committed by a person when the person fails to lock, secure, or otherwise store or make unavailable a firearm and ammunition for the firearm constitutes
a
Class E felony if a child younger than 13 obtains possession of the firearm, discharges the firearm, and the discharge results in bodily injury or serious bodily injury to the child or to another
. However, if such discharge results in the death of the child or another, then the classification is raised to a Class C felony.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 33
By Campbell

HOUSE BILL 167
By Mitchell

HB0167
000537
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 13, relative to the offense of reckless
endangerment.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. This act is known and may be cited as "MaKayla's Law."
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-103, is amended by adding
the following new subdivision (b)(5) and redesignating the existing subdivision (b)(5)
accordingly:
(5) Reckless endangerment committed by a person when the person fails to
lock, secure, or otherwise store or make unavailable a firearm and ammunition for the
firearm is:
(A) A Class E felony if a child younger than thirteen (13) years of age
obtains possession of the firearm, discharges the firearm, and the discharge
results in bodily injury or serious bodily injury to the child or to another; or
(B) A Class C felony if a child younger than thirteen (13) years of age
obtains possession of the firearm, discharges the firearm, and the discharge
results in the death of the child or another.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.