Legislation that would have allowed local governments to decide if gun owners need a permit failed in the Tennessee Senate.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee voted against SB0043. The bill, introduced by Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) would have given county governments the authority “not to permit” people from carrying handguns without the proper permit through the passage of a resolution.
The legislation would’ve required the appropriate body to notify residents of the resolution by postings in “conspicuous public locations throughout the county.”
“In counties experiencing certain challenges, we would like them to decide if they require a carry permit within those counties through resolution to try to mitigate many of the gun violence and gun deaths we’re seeing in the state of Tennessee,” Lamar said.
Lamar said her proposed legislation was in response to the rise in gun violence across the state. She said this was a way to combat the issue without infringing on “anyone’s Second Amendment” rights.
The 2025 State of The Child in Tennessee showed firearm crimes involving youth aged 10 to 17 increasing by 87 percent. Firearms were also the leading cause of death in 2023 for children aged one to 17, accounting for 95 deaths.
Gun deaths hit a record high in 2023 with a total of 1,587 firearm fatalities. The most recent data from Tennessee Under the Gun and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed the state ranking seventh in the nation for overall firearm fatalities..
The same data showed Shelby County leading the state in firearm deaths by county from 2019 to 2023 with a reported 1,849 firearm deaths.
During the hearing, Lamar noted that the state had a statewide permit carry law, however it moved to permitless carry in 2021 for handguns. Under the new law, Tennesseans are permitted to carry loaded handguns — openly or concealed — without a permit.
This law applies to those 21 and over who are in lawful possession of the handgun.
The bill failed with two ayes and six nays.