• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

In Tn from Va... Traveling in car

DJEEPER

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
407
Location
Yorktown, ,
As far as carrying in Tn in a vehicle (I have my Va CHP)... Is there any special condition I have to carry? I.e., chamber empty, mag out, etc?

I read that you can't have one in the chamber but I don't know if my permit excludes me from such idiocracy

Thanks!
 

Nascar24Glock

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2011
Messages
252
Location
Johnson City, TN
As far as carrying in Tn in a vehicle (I have my Va CHP)... Is there any special condition I have to carry? I.e., chamber empty, mag out, etc?

I read that you can't have one in the chamber but I don't know if my permit excludes me from such idiocracy

Thanks!

Since you have your VA permit, there are no special conditions with which you have to comply with regards to carrying a handgun in a car (long guns are a different story; generally, even permit holders can't have a loaded long gun in a car in TN). You can have it loaded or unloaded, concealed or open, locked in the glovebox or set on the dashboard. It's really up to you. And, while TN is not a "must inform" state, you do need to show your permit if and when an officer asks for it.
 
Last edited:

DJEEPER

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
407
Location
Yorktown, ,
Since you have your VA permit, there are no special conditions with which you have to comply with regards to carrying a handgun in a car (long guns are a different story; generally, even permit holders can't have a loaded long gun in a car in TN). You can have it loaded or unloaded, concealed or open, locked in the glovebox or set on the dashboard. It's really up to you. And, while TN is not a "must inform" state, you do need to show your permit if and when an officer asks for it.

I was reading about the must inform laws. Interesting.


Now as far as places that serve alcohol, good to go unless otherwise posted? (I don't drink)
 

JamesCanby

Activist Member
Joined
Jul 2, 2010
Messages
1,480
Location
Alexandria, VA at www.NoVA-MDSelfDefense.com
Excerpts from the Traveler's Guide to the Firearms Laws of the 50 States (2013):

Preemption: State law preempts cities, but local ordinances passed before 1986 are grandfathered. Most aspects of licensed handgun carry are regulated exclusively by the state.
Right of Self Defense: NRA-model Castle Doctrine, stand your ground in public areas
Open carry: prohibited unless one possesses a recognized carry permit to carry a handgun
Concealed carry: automatic recognition for non-residents with carry permits from any other state
State Parks: concealed handgun carry by recognized licensees permitted
Restaurants serving alcohol: permittees may carry while eating in dining areas. In general, may carry concealed if they do not consume alcohol, remain in the dining area and do not frequent the "bar portion" of the establishment.
Duty to notify: upon demand of police officer
Vehicle gun possession at colleges: prohibited by law

Rifles and shotguns carried in a vehicle must remain unloaded and separate from ammunition unless one has a recognized carry permit. TN allows permittees to possess magazine loaded, but chamber unloaded, long guns in vehicle
 

Nascar24Glock

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2011
Messages
252
Location
Johnson City, TN
Excerpts from the Traveler's Guide to the Firearms Laws of the 50 States (2013):

Preemption: State law preempts cities, but local ordinances passed before 1986 are grandfathered. Most aspects of licensed handgun carry are regulated exclusively by the state.
Right of Self Defense: NRA-model Castle Doctrine, stand your ground in public areas
Open carry: prohibited unless one possesses a recognized carry permit to carry a handgun
Concealed carry: automatic recognition for non-residents with carry permits from any other state
State Parks: concealed handgun carry by recognized licensees permitted
Restaurants serving alcohol: permittees may carry while eating in dining areas. In general, may carry concealed if they do not consume alcohol, remain in the dining area and do not frequent the "bar portion" of the establishment.
Duty to notify: upon demand of police officer
Vehicle gun possession at colleges: prohibited by law

Rifles and shotguns carried in a vehicle must remain unloaded and separate from ammunition unless one has a recognized carry permit. TN allows permittees to possess magazine loaded, but chamber unloaded, long guns in vehicle

Unfortunately, that information is a little inaccurate and outdated.

"Restaurants serving alcohol": In Tennessee, it was illegal up until 2009 to carry into any place that served alcohol for on-premises consumption. For a few months in 2009 (until the law was struck down by the TN Supreme Court as being unconstitutionally vague), carry was allowed by permit holders in places designated by the 2009 law as "restaurants" and not "bars". If I remember right, this definition covered the entire building, meaning the entire building was either a "restaurant" or a "bar", and was based on whether serving food was an integral part of the business model or only incidental to serving alcohol. The 2010 law repealed the entire statute against carrying in places that serve alcohol for on-premises consumption, meaning that a permit holder can now carry into either a bar or a restaurant (unless the business owner posts his or her business as prohibiting guns pursuant to T.C.A. 39-17-1359, which many bars have done). Also, a permit holder can carry openly or concealed into a place that serves alcohol in TN.
"Duty to notify": This one is a little misleading. If an officer asks a person if that person is carrying a weapon, that person can invoke the 5th and refuse to answer. However, if an officer becomes aware that a person has a handgun, then that is the point at which the officer can demand to see the person's carry permit.
"Vehicle gun possession at colleges": This one was true for STUDENTS up until July 1 of this year (even before this point, NON-students could keep a gun in the car pursuant to the same restrictions that a non-permittee must follow to have a gun in a car anywhere in TN, meaning unloaded and not readily accessible). As of July 1, anyone with a permit may keep a CONCEALED handgun in a vehicle in TN (beware that this provision of the law exempts a permit holder only from criminal penalties; the college can still impose academic sanctions against students or employment sanctions against employees).

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. None of the above information is, or should be construed as, legal advice. I accept no liability for any actions that any person may or may not take based on this information. For legal advice, a person should consult an attorney licensed to practice law in that person's jurisdiction.
 
Last edited:

Oh Shoot

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2010
Messages
184
Location
Knoxville
.... generally, even permit holders can't have a loaded long gun in a car in TN)....

Permit holders may have loaded long guns in vehicle in TN, just can't have one in chamber, except in case of using for self defense.

- OS
 
Last edited:
Top