Firearms and Ammunition

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify the exact penalties for violations beyond requiring completion of a handgun safety course. It also does not provide details on enforcement mechanisms and potential consequences for law enforcement officers who fail to enforce the law properly.

Tennessee Gun Storage and Reporting Law

This bill changes how people can store guns in cars when they are not inside and requires gun owners to report lost or stolen handguns within 24 hours.

What This Bill Does

• Makes it illegal for someone to leave a handgun in their car without locking it up if the person is not in the car. The gun must be out of sight and locked in the trunk, glove box, or another secure container.
• Changes how non-handgun firearms and ammunition can be stored when the vehicle owner is not present. They must also be kept from view and securely locked.
• Requires handgun owners to report a lost or stolen handgun within 24 hours to local law enforcement.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who own handguns and store them in vehicles
• Handgun owners who lose or have their guns stolen

Terms To Know

Class C misdemeanor

A minor crime that usually results in a small fine or community service.

Ordinary observation

Being able to see something without searching for it.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if someone fails to complete the safety course after a violation.
• It is unclear how this law will be enforced and whether there are penalties for police who do not enforce it properly.

Official Summary Text

STORING A HANDGUN IN A MOTOR VEHICLE

This bill makes it an offense
for a person to store a handgun, whether loaded or unloaded, in a motor vehicle while the person is not in the motor vehicle unless the handgun is
kept from ordinary observation and locked within the trunk, utility or glove box, or a locked container securely affixed to the motor vehicle.
Under this bill, a violation is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by the completion of a court-approved handgun
safety course. A court must not impose a fine or incarceration as punishment for a violation.

STORING A FIREARM OR AMMUNITION IN A MOTOR VEHICLE

Present law authorizes
a person who has a valid enhanced handgun carry permit or concealed handgun carry p
ermit
,
or who lawfully carries a handgun pursuant to
law, to
transport and store a firearm or firearm ammunition in the person's motor vehicle

while on or utilizing any public or private parking area if
(i) t
he person's motor vehicle is parked in a locatio
n where the motor vehicle is permitted to be
and (ii) t
he firearm or ammunition being transported or stored in the motor vehicle
is kept from ordinary observation if the person is in the motor vehicle, or is kept from ordinary
observation and locked within
the trunk, glove box, or interior of the person's motor vehicle or a container securely affixed to the motor vehicle if the person is not in the motor vehicle
.

This bill revises (ii) above to, instead, provide the following:



A
mmunition being transported or stored in the motor vehicle
must be
kept from ordinary observation and locked within the trunk, glove box, or interior of the person's motor vehicle or a container securely affixed to the motor vehicle if the person is not in the motor vehicle
.



A
firearm being transported or stored in the motor vehicle
,
other than a handgun
,

must be
kept from ordinary observation and locked within the trunk, glove box, or interior of the person's motor vehicle or a container securely affixed to the motor vehicle if the person is not in the motor vehicle
.



A

handgun
being transported or stored in the motor vehicle
must be
stored in accordance with
this bill
if the person is not in the vehicle.

REPORTING LOSS OR THEFT OF A HANDGUN

This bill requires a person who owns a
handgun
to
report the loss or theft of the handgun to a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the location where the handgun was lost or stolen within 24 hours of the discovery of the loss or theft.
A violation of this provision is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by the completion of a court-approved handgun safety course. A court must not impose a fine or incarceration as punishment for a violation.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 563
By Hemmer

SENATE BILL 807
By Yarbro

SB0807
001276
- 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 39-17-1307, is amended by adding
the following as a new subsection:
(k)
(1) It is an offense for a person to store a handgun, whether loaded or
unloaded, in a motor vehicle while the person is not in the motor vehicle unless
the handgun is kept from ordinary observation and locked within the trunk, utility
or glove box, or a locked container securely affixed to the motor vehicle.
(2) As used in this subsection (k):
(A) "Motor vehicle" has the same meaning as defined in
subdivision (e)(2)(A); and
(B) "Trunk" means the fully enclosed and locked main storage
compartment of a motor vehicle that is not accessible from the passenger
compartment but does not include any compartment that has a window,
the bed of a pickup truck, or the rear area of a hatchback, station wagon-
type motor vehicle, or sport utility motor vehicle.
(3) A violation of this subsection (k) is a Class C misdemeanor,
punishable only by the completion of a court-approved handgun safety course.
The court shall not impose a fine or incarceration as punishment for a violation of
this subsection (k).

- 2 - 001276

SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-1313(a)(2), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting the following:
(2)
(A) The firearm or ammunition being transported or stored in the motor
vehicle is kept from ordinary observation if the person is in the motor vehicle; or
(B)
(i) The ammunition being transported or stored in the motor
vehicle is kept from ordinary observation and locked within the trunk,
glove box, or interior of the person's motor vehicle or a container securely
affixed to the motor vehicle if the person is not in the motor vehicle;
(ii) The firearm being transported or stored in the motor vehicle is
other than a handgun and is kept from ordinary observation and locked
within the trunk, glove box, or interior of the person's motor vehicle or a
container securely affixed to the motor vehicle if the person is not in the
motor vehicle; or
(iii) The firearm being transported or stored in the motor vehicle is
a handgun and is stored in accordance with § 39-17-1307(i) if the person
is not in the vehicle.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) A person who owns a handgun shall report the loss or theft of the handgun to
a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the location where the handgun was lost
or stolen within twenty-four (24) hours of the discovery of the loss or theft.

- 3 - 001276

(b) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable only by the
completion of a court-approved handgun safety course. The court shall not impose a
fine or incarceration as punishment for a violation of this section.
SECTION 4. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.