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SB0859 • 2026

Criminal Offenses

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 11 and Title 40, relative to self-defense.

Firearms
Active

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

Sponsor
Taylor, Towns
Last action
2025-03-11
Official status
Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the application in court cases or limitations regarding types of deadly weapons.

Amending Self-Defense Laws for Property Protection

This bill amends Tennessee's self-defense laws to presume that using force intended or likely to cause death or serious bodily injury from within one’s home against an armed person unlawfully present on their property outside the enclosed structure is in line with existing self-defense provisions.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds a new part to current law about when people can use deadly force for self-defense.
  • Modifies a section of Tennessee law to clarify that using force intended or likely to cause death or serious bodily injury from within one's residence against an armed person unlawfully present on their property outside the enclosed structure is presumed to be in line with existing self-defense laws.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who use force intended or likely to cause death or serious bodily injury from within their residence against an armed person unlawfully present on their property outside the enclosed structure.

Terms To Know

Self-defense
The right of a person to protect themselves from harm by using reasonable force.
Deadly weapon
An object or instrument that is capable of causing death or serious bodily injury when used as intended or in the manner it was designed.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how this new presumption will be applied in court cases.
  • It's unclear if there are any limits on what types of deadly weapons trigger this presumption.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on Final cal. 4 of Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  2. 2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 4/7/2026

  3. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  4. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to the Final Calendar No. 3

  6. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/25/2026

  8. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  9. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  10. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  11. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee to 3/11/2026

  12. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Criminal Justice Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  13. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  14. 2026-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  15. 2026-01-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Meeting Canceled

  16. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee

  23. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/11/2025

  24. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  25. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  26. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Criminal Justice Subcommittee

  27. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee

  28. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  29. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  30. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that any person
using force intended
or likely to cause death or serious bodily injury within a residence, business, dwelling
,
or vehicle is presumed to have held a reasonable belief of imminent death or serious bodily injury to self, family, a member of the household or a person visiting as
an invited guest, when that force is used against another person, who unlawfully and forcibly enters or has unlawfully and forcibly entered the residence, business, dwelling
,
or vehicle, and the person using defensive force knew or had reason to believe t
hat an unlawful and forcible entry occurred.

This bill adds that a person using
force intended or likely to cause death or serious bodily injury from within the person's residence or dwelling is presumed to have acted in accordance with
present law self-
defense provisions,
when that force is used against an individual armed with a deadly weapon who is unlawfully present on the person's property and outside of the enclosed structure of the person's residence or dwelling.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL 931
By Towns

SENATE BILL 859
By Taylor

SB0859
002513
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
Chapter 11 and Title 40, relative to self-defense.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-11-611(c), is amended by
designating the current language as subdivision (c)(1) and adding the following as a new
subdivision (c)(2):
(2) A person using force intended or likely to cause death or serious bodily injury
from within the person's residence or dwelling is presumed to have acted in accordance
with subdivision (b)(2) when that force is used against an individual armed with a deadly
weapon who is unlawfully present on the person's property and outside of the enclosed
structure of the person's residence or dwelling.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-11-611(d), is amended by
deleting "subsection (c)" and substituting "subdivision (c)(1)".
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.