Exhibition of a Weapon (TN)

While Tennessee does not have a provision specifically prohibiting displaying a weapon in a threatening manner, it does prohibit “carr[ying], with the intent to go armed, a firearm or club.” Regardless of whether the individual holds a valid permit, there is an exception to this rule allowing one who is not prohibited from purchasing a firearm to carry or possess it within their personal vehicle. Additional defenses to this rule, including hunting, law enforcement, and being on one’s own property, may be found in the following section. Tennessee specifically prohibits “display[ing] in a threatening manner an imitation firearm in a public place in a way that would cause a reasonable person to fear bodily injury to themselves or another.” Such display of an imitation firearm is a misdemeanor. As it did with “school property,” Tennessee again specified which properties constitute a “public place.”