Eligibility Requirements

Qualifications That Must Be Met Before Applying for a Tennessee Handgun Carry Permit (Enhanced or Concealed)

• Effective July 1, 2005, all handgun permit applicants seeking a new permit must provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Residency.
• Applicants must not be prohibited from purchasing or possessing a handgun in this, or any other, state. 

• Must not have a Felony conviction and not currently under indictment for a felony
• Must not have a Charge pending for Domestic Violence and never been convicted of Domestic Violence
• Must not be a fugitive from justice
• Must not have been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions
• Must not be an illegal alien or unlawfully in the United States
• Has not renounced their United States citizenship
• Does not have an Order of Protection or a restraining order filed against them
• Not an unlawful user of or addicted to alcohol or any controlled substance or controlled substance analogue
• Not a patient in a rehabilitation program and have not been hospitalized for alcohol, controlled substance or controlled substance analogue within ten (10) years (if court ordered) or 3 years (if voluntary)
• Must not have had two (2) convictions for DUI in ten (10) years, with one of those being within the last five (5) years
• Not currently under the jurisdiction of the court for a DUI or any other Class A Misdemeanor conviction
• Has not been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to/or hospitalized in a mental institution
• Has not had a court appoint a conservator for me by reason of mental defect
• Has not been judicially determined to be disabled by reason of mental illness, development disability or other mental incapacity
• Has not been found by a court to pose an immediate substantial likelihood of serious harm, because of mental illness within seven (7) years from the date of application
• Has not been convicted of stalking and have no pending charge(s) for Stalking
• Not receiving social security disability benefits by reason of alcohol dependence, drug dependence, or mental disability
• Applicants are required to be a resident of the state of Tennessee
• Be at leasteighteen (18) years of age.

The information on this page is originally published on the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security website located at: https://www.tn.gov/safety/tnhp/handgun/eligibilityrequirements.html