Department of Safety Internet-Handgun Carry Permits Qualifications and Requirements

Qualifications That Must Be Met Before Applying for a Tennessee Handgun Carry Permit

Effective July 1, 2005, all handgun permit applicants seeking a new, renewal or replacement permit must provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Residency.
Effective July 1, 2005, Tennessee handgun carry permit law will now allow certain applicants already exempt from complying with firing range provisions of the current statute to also be exempt from any classroom requirements. Those current exceptions are applicants who prove to the department that within five (5) years from the date of application for handgun permit, the applicant has:

Been certified by the police officer's standards and training commission, or

successfully completed training at the law enforcement training academy; or

successfully completed the firearms training course required for armed security guards; or

successfully completed all handgun training of not less than four (4) hours as required by any branch of the military.

Applicants are required to be a resident of the State of Tennessee;
Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age;
Applicants shall not have been convicted of any felony offense punishable for a term exceeding one (1) year;
Applicants shall not currently be under indictment or information for any criminal offense punishable by a term exceeding one (1) year;
Shall not be currently the subject of any order of protection;
Shall not be a fugitive from justice;
Shall not be an unlawful user of or addicted to alcohol or any controlled substance and the applicant has not been a patient in a rehabilitation program or hospitalized for alcohol or controlled substance abuse or addiction within ten (10) years from the date of application;
The applicant has not been convicted of the offense of driving under the influence of an intoxicant in this or any other State two (2) or more times within ten (10) years from the date of application and that none of such convictions has occurred within five (5) years from the date of application or renewal.
Shall not have been adjudicated as mental defective; has not been committed to or hospitalized in a mental institution; has not had a court appoint a conservator for the applicant by reason of a mental defect; has not been judicially determined to be disabled by reason of a mental illness, development disability or other mental incapacity; and has not, within seven (7) years from the date of application, been found by a court to pose an immediate substantial likelihood of serious harm, as defined in Title 33, Chapter 6, Part 5, because of mental illness;
Shall not be an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States;
Shall not have been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions (dishonorable discharge, bad conduct discharge or other than honorable discharge Chapter 1340-2-5-.02 (5);
Having been a citizen of the United States, applicants shall not have renounced their citizenship;
Shall not have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence as defined in 18 U.S.C.A. 921 (33);
Shall not be receiving social security disability benefits by reason of alcohol dependence, drug dependence or mental disability;
Shall not have been convicted of the offense of stalking;

Requirements for Obtaining a Tennessee Handgun Carry Permit

Applicant shall submit proof of the successful completion of a department approved Handgun Safety Course within the past six (6) months. Call toll free 1-866-849-3548 to find out more information on handgun schools, locations and contact information.

Provide CERTIFIED PROOF of U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Residency (no photocopies).

Submit application at any full service Driver License Service Center location.

Applicant is required to present a photo ID to the department at the time of filing the application.

Pay $115 non-refundable application fee payable by cash, certified check, or money order.

When the application is processed at the driver service center, the applicant will be given instructions on being fingerprinted.

Incomplete applications cannot be processed.

FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.