Tennessee Creates Enhanced Carry Permit

With House Bill 1264 (a/k/a Public Chapter 479) effective January 1, 2020, the Tennessee Legislature created a bifurcated concealed carry permitting scheme.

Under the new law, Tennessee residents who otherwise are qualified to be issued a concealed carry permit can satisfy the training requirement through an online or video course that is at least 90 minutes long and includes a test confirming the student’s competency of state law. This will be the basic permit. The permit cost is $65 plus fingerprinting.

Those citizens who follow the traditional route, which requires eight hours of instruction and a course of live fire, will now receive an "enhanced handgun carry permit."

The difference between the basic and enhanced permits will be that enhanced permittees will have fewer restrictions on carry. Check back later this year for a more detailed list of the prohibited locations depending on permit type.