Yes, you can buy a gun in Tennessee with an out-of-state driver’s license, but what you can walk out with depends on the type of firearm. A licensed Tennessee dealer can sell you a rifle or shotgun the same day. A handgun has to be shipped to a licensed dealer in your home state, where you finish the transaction. That split comes from federal law, not Tennessee law, and it applies no matter which state you call home.
Rifles and Shotguns Over the Counter
Buying a long gun as a non-resident works almost the same way it works for a Tennessee resident. Federal law lets a licensed dealer sell a rifle or shotgun to a buyer from another state, as long as the sale complies with the laws of both Tennessee and the buyer’s home state.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts You bring your out-of-state license, fill out ATF Form 4473 at the counter, and the dealer runs a background check through the Tennessee Instant Check System, known as TICS.2Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp. R. Regs. 1395-01-03-.04 – TICS Program Instant Checks Request Requirements
The TICS check costs $10, non-refundable whether you’re approved or denied.3Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Guidelines for Federal Firearms Licensees Tennessee has no mandatory waiting period. Once the check clears, the gun goes home with you.
Handguns Require a Two-Dealer Process
Federal law prohibits a licensed dealer from selling or delivering a handgun to anyone who doesn’t reside in the state where the dealer is located.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts The exception for rifles and shotguns stops there. You can still pick out and pay for a handgun at a Tennessee dealer; the gun just can’t leave the store with you.
Instead, the Tennessee dealer ships it to a licensed dealer in your home state. The TBI’s guidelines for Tennessee dealers say so directly: a dealer may take orders for any firearm from a non-resident and ship it to a dealer in the buyer’s home state.4Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. 2024 Guidelines for Federal Firearms Licensees Once the handgun arrives, you complete the process at the receiving dealer: another Form 4473, another background check under your state’s rules, and the dealer hands you the gun.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide
Line this up before you buy. Call a dealer near your home, confirm they accept incoming transfers, and get their Federal Firearms License information so the Tennessee dealer knows where to ship.
What It Costs on Top of the Price Tag
The two-dealer route adds expenses. The Tennessee dealer charges for shipping, and carriers like UPS generally require handguns to go via next-day air unless the dealer has a special shipping agreement. Your home-state dealer then charges a transfer fee for receiving the gun and processing the paperwork. Transfer fees aren’t regulated and vary, but $25 to $75 is common. Factor both in before deciding to buy in Tennessee rather than closer to home.
Your Home State’s Laws Still Apply
This is where out-of-state buyers most often run into trouble. Federal law doesn’t just require the sale to be legal in Tennessee. It requires the sale to comply with the laws of your home state.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts A Tennessee dealer is presumed to know the firearms laws of your state, and selling you something your state prohibits exposes the dealer to federal liability.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide
In practice, a Tennessee dealer may refuse to sell you a specific rifle or shotgun if they believe it violates your home state’s restrictions on features, magazine capacity, or configuration. Some states go further. California generally requires all firearms purchased out of state to be routed through a California dealer, which effectively eliminates the over-the-counter long gun exception for its residents. If you live in a state with strict firearms rules, research them before shopping. A dealer who isn’t certain about your state’s laws will often decline the sale rather than risk a violation.
Age Minimums
Federal age limits apply to every dealer sale regardless of where you live. You must be at least 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun and at least 21 to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Tennessee doesn’t set stricter age limits for dealer purchases. If your home state imposes a higher minimum age for the firearm you want, the dealer must follow the higher threshold, because the sale has to be lawful in both states.
ID and Form 4473
You need a valid, government-issued photo ID showing your name, date of birth, and current address. An out-of-state driver’s license qualifies. If your license shows an old address, bring a supplemental government document with your current address, such as a vehicle registration or a printout from a government website showing your name and residence.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide
You fill out ATF Form 4473 at the dealer’s premises before any transfer. The form asks for biographical information and a series of yes-or-no questions designed to screen for people prohibited from owning firearms under federal law: felony convictions, domestic violence misdemeanors, active restraining orders, unlawful drug use. Lying on any of these questions is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 924 – Penalties
Private Sales Are Not a Shortcut
Tennessee does not require background checks for private firearm sales between two people who aren’t in the business of dealing in guns.7Justia Law. Tennessee Code 39-17-1316 – Sales; Requirements; Background Check That exemption vanishes when the buyer lives in another state.
Federal law makes it illegal for any unlicensed person to sell, trade, give, or otherwise transfer a firearm to someone they know or have reason to believe lives in a different state.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts The only narrow exceptions cover inherited firearms and temporary loans for lawful sporting purposes. A private seller at a Tennessee gun show or through an online listing cannot hand you a firearm if you’re from out of state.
To make a private sale to a non-resident legal, the seller has to route the transaction through a licensed dealer. For rifles and shotguns, a Tennessee dealer can process the transfer on the spot. For handguns, the same shipping-to-home-state rule applies.
Getting the Gun Home
After buying a rifle or shotgun in Tennessee, you still need to get it across state lines legally. The Firearm Owners Protection Act provides a federal safe-passage right: you can transport a firearm through any state as long as it’s unloaded and neither the gun nor any ammunition is readily accessible from the passenger compartment.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms In vehicles without a separate trunk, like SUVs and pickups, the firearm and ammunition must be in a locked container that isn’t the glove compartment or center console.
Safe passage only protects you between two places where you can legally possess the firearm. If you stop overnight in a state that prohibits the gun you just bought, that protection may not shield you, and courts have read the rule narrowly. Drive through restrictive states without extended stops when you can.
Flying Home
The TSA allows firearms in checked baggage under specific conditions. The gun must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container, and you must declare it to the airline at the ticket counter.9Transportation Security Administration. Transporting Firearms and Ammunition Only you should hold the key or combination. Ammunition can go in checked bags, but it has to be in its original packaging or a container designed for it. Firearms and ammunition are never allowed in carry-on bags. Check with your airline about additional fees or policies before you head to the airport.
Penalties for Doing It Wrong
Making a false statement on Form 4473 carries up to five years in federal prison.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 924 – Penalties An unlicensed person who transfers a firearm to someone they know lives in another state faces the same category of felony charge.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts If the transfer rises to the level of trafficking, meaning someone knowingly provides a firearm to a person whose possession would be a felony, the maximum penalty jumps to 15 years.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 933 – Trafficking in Firearms Federal prosecutors regularly bring cases for straw purchases and illegal interstate sales, and a conviction means losing your gun rights permanently on top of prison time.