NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — Beginning July 1, there is no longer a requirement to go through the permit training course to carry a handgun in Tennessee.
The new law allows for both open and concealed carrying of handguns for people 21 and older without a permit as well as military members 18 to 20 years old.
Even though the law no longer requires training, gun safety instructors say knowing how to handle a gun and the laws behind legally carrying one is important.
"If this gun on my hip is a hammer, everything in the world is not a nail. So, this doesn't solve all the problems. I got to have the ways to talk to people to be able to walk away, to be able to use ease before a pistol ever comes out," said Bob Allen with Royal Range USA.
Allen says getting a permit has its benefits.
"That is an eight-hour class and the benefit to it that the permit-less carry don't give you is you can carry in 36 states across the nation, if you take that eight-hour class."
Under this new law, you still can't bring a gun anywhere. There are places where a permit remains an exception including many parks.
"If you're a permit-less carrier and you go into that park you are subject to arrest because you're violating the law, under that permit-less carry law," Allen said.
The new law will remove the misdemeanor offense for most people of carrying a handgun without a permit.
The law does exclude those convicted of a felony, DUI, domestic violence or stalking.
According to the NRA, there are 20 states to have a constitutional carry law on the books.
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Texas' bill goes into effect in September.
