Screen shot of the Tennessee Senate vote tally board for a bill allowing any gun owner to carry a handgun openly with no need for a state-issued permit so long as they are not legally barred from owning a firearm.NASHVILLE – Any Tennessean who can legally have a firearm would be able to carry a handgun openly with no need for any state-issued permit under a bill that whizzed through the Senate on Tuesday.
The bill passed 25-2. The House version remains in the chamber’s Budget Subcommittee and there is some disagreement among lawmakers about whether it has enough votes to pass the panel.
Sen. Mae Beavers’ bill would apply to anyone so long as they are not legally prohibited from having a firearm. It excludes felons who have not had their voting rights restored.
“Requiring Tennesseans to pay for and obtain a permit to publicly carry a handgun in all forms, including openly and while in a motor vehicle — current Tennessee law — converts the right to carry a handgun into a privilege,” Beavers said in a floor speech.
Existing state law requires a handgun-carry permit to carry a gun, whether it is “open carry” or concealed.