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HB0599 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13, relative to firearms.

Crime Firearms
Active

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

Sponsor
Freeman, Campbell
Last action
2026-04-09
Official status
Re-ref. to Criminal Justice Subcommittee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text specifies that the law applies to transfers made on or after July 1, 2025, but this date is not mentioned in the candidate explanation and does not align with the current status of the bill being active.

Expanding Rules for Giving Away Guns

This bill makes it illegal to transfer a gun to someone who is not allowed by state or federal law to have one, and classifies this as a Class A misdemeanor.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds rules that make transferring guns to people who are not allowed to own them a crime.
  • Makes the new rule part of Tennessee's laws about firearms.
  • Says anyone who breaks this rule can be punished as if they did something very serious (Class A misdemeanor).

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who transfer guns to others.
  • People who receive guns from others and are not allowed by law to have them.

Terms To Know

Class A misdemeanor
A type of punishment for breaking a serious rule that can include jail time.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the consequences for accidental transfers to those prohibited from owning guns.
  • It is unclear how this law will be enforced or if it will change crime rates.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0599

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee's firearms laws to include 'transfer' alongside 'sell' and 'offer to sell' when referring to prohibited individuals.

  • Adds the word 'transfer' in relation to selling or offering to sell a firearm to someone who is not allowed by state or federal law to own, possess, or buy a firearm.
  • The amendment does not provide additional context on what constitutes a transfer of firearms beyond adding this term to the existing offense description.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0034

Plain English: The amendment changes part of Tennessee's firearms laws to include 'transfer' along with 'sell' when discussing illegal sales or offers to sell a firearm to someone who is not allowed by state or federal law to have one.

  • Adds the word 'transfer' to the existing language that makes it illegal to sell or offer to sell a firearm to someone prohibited from owning, possessing, or purchasing a firearm.
  • The amendment text does not provide additional context about why this change is being made or what specific impact it will have beyond the addition of 'transfer'.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Re-ref. to Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  2. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Re-refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  3. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Failed to pass Senate, Ayes 11, Nays 21

  4. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0933)

  5. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  6. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026

  7. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  8. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 4/7/2026

  9. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee

  10. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee

  11. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2026

  12. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 4/7/2026

  13. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 4/1/2026

  14. 2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 6, Nays 2 PNV 1

  15. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/24/2026

  16. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 3/24/2026

  17. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/25/2026

  18. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/23/2026

  19. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on Final calendar of Senate Judiciary Committee

  20. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/24/2026

  21. 2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 2/24/2026

  22. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Def. to Special Calendar to be Published with Final Calendar in Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  23. 2026-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 2/10/2026

  24. 2026-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 2/4/2026

  25. 2026-01-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Meeting Canceled

  26. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 1/28/2026

  27. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee

  28. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/8/2025

  29. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Judiciary Committee to 4/8/2025

  30. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to First Calendar of 2026

  31. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  38. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  39. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  40. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  41. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  42. 2025-01-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  43. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  44. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  45. 2025-01-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON APRIL 9, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1. SENATE BILL 34, AS AMENDED, FAILED TO RECEIVE A CONSTITUTIONAL MAJORITY.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, expand a present law
offense to sell or offer to sell a firearm to a person knowing that the person is prohibited by state or federal law from owning, possessing
,
or purchasing a firearm
by adding that it is also an
offense
to
transfer or offer
to
transfer a firearm to a person
with such knowledge of the person.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 34
By Campbell

HOUSE BILL 599
By Freeman

HB0599
000533
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 17, Part 13, relative to firearms.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-1316, is amended by adding
the following as a new subsection:
(s)
(1) It is an offense to knowingly give, sell, lend, deliver, or otherwise
transfer a firearm to a person when the transferor knows or reasonably should
know that the person receiving the firearm is prohibited from purchasing or
possessing a firearm under state or federal law.
(2) A violation of this subsection (s) is a Class A misdemeanor.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to transfers of firearms made on or after such date.