July 1 permitless carry becomes law in Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed legislation into law Thursday that would now allow any Tennessean 21 and older to carry a handgun without a permit.

“I signed constitutional carry today because it shouldn’t be hard for law-abiding Tennesseans to exercise their #2A rights. Thank you members of the General Assembly and @NRA for helping get this done,” said Gov. Lee in a Tweet Thursday.

I signed constitutional carry today because it shouldn’t be hard for law-abiding Tennesseans to exercise their #2A rights. Thank you members of the General Assembly and @NRA for helping get this done. pic.twitter.com/xv2ZenOEZq
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) April 8, 2021

The legislation would go into effect on July 1 of this year and states an individual be 21-years-old to carry a handgun unless they are 18 and honorably discharged or retired from the Armed Forces. Members of the National Guard and people on active duty would also be permitted to carry guns without permits.

The bill pushed by Governor Bill Lee also received opposition from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association.

Tennessee is now the 32nd permit-less carry state.