Over the last decade many reports have circulated that there are as many as 29 “constitutional carry” states. Tennessee’s Governor Bill Lee and many Republican members of the Tennessee Legislature told Tennesseans that when the Governor claimed that he was introducing a constitutional carry law in Tennessee in 2020. Then, in 2021, Governor Lee announced on X, with Rep. William Lamberth, the House sponsor, setting next to him that he was signing “constitutional carry” into law in Tennessee.
But the fact is that Governor Lee neither introduced nor did he sign into law Constitutional Carry in Tennessee. Rep. Lamberth made no effort to pass Constitutional Carry. Yet, that is the story that the state told its citizens! Clearly, Tennessee is not a constitutional carry state.
But are there really 29 states that do have constitutional carry? Tennessee Firearms Association works with law students by sponsoring an externship. Jordan Hagness was TFA’s extern in the fall of 2024. She was assigned the project of identifying the states that some resources claim have constitutional carry and then reviewing the statutes in those states to determine if they really do. The research concludes that of the 29 states attributed with constitutional carry, perhaps 13, maybe 14, have constitutional carry. The others simply do not.
Of course, the research also concluded, once again, that Tennessee is about as far from having constitutional carry as a state could be. No surprise there given the composition of the Republican caucus in the Tennessee Legislature or who the state has had as its Republican governors since 2010.
Ms. Hagness’ report looks at each of the 29 states and classifies them into 1 of 5 categories. The report should help with the better understanding of which states truly support the rights protected by the Second Amendment and which, like Tennessee, do not.
John Harris | Executive Director | Tennessee Firearms Association
Joining and supporting TFA is an investment in the fight to restore our constitutional rights and to fight against politicians who are willing to sell their votes and your rights to whichever business interest gives them the most money!
