Chas Sisk

csisk@tennessean.com

The Tennessee Senate approved a bill Tuesday that would let gun owners carry their weapons openly without a permit.

Lawmakers voted 25-2 to pass a measure filed by state Sen. Mae Beavers that would do away with the requirement that gun owners go through a background check, receive training and obtain a permit before carrying a handgun in public. Gun owners would have to get a permit only if they plan to conceal their weapons.

State Sens. Charlotte Burks, D-Monterrey, and Thelma Harper, D-Nashville, cast the only votes against the bill, though six senators abstained.

The bill's prospects in the House of Representatives are uncertain.

Tennessee already allows gun ownership without a permit if the weapon is kept in the home. Lawmakers have debated legislation this year that would allow carrying a gun in a vehicle without a permit.

The Open Carry Firearms Freedom Act, Senate Bill 2424, goes a step beyond and would let someone carry in public without a permit. The bill does not appear to affect laws that ban carrying a gun while under the influence of alcohol, prohibit convicted criminals from carrying a gun or let businesses and local governments ban firearms.

Because those laws remain on the books, the bill's primary impact, if were to pass the House, would be to make it easier to transport a gun, said John Harris, a lawyer and the executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association.

Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet, emphasized the same point on the Senate floor. She also stressed the symbolic importance of allowing Tennesseans to carry a handgun without having to pay the $115 permit fee.

"Tennessee law (currently) converts the right to carry a handgun into a privilege," Beavers said.

But Harris said he doubts the bill will pass the House, noting that the House Finance Subcommittee has delayed a vote on the measure until the end of the year.

Reach Chas Sisk at 615-259-8283 and on Twitter @chassisk.