In Tennessee, you have to be at least 21 years old to legally carry a handgun, whether you carry under the state’s permitless carry law or with an Enhanced or Concealed Handgun Carry Permit. The age drops to 18 for active-duty military members, qualifying National Guard and Reserve members who have completed basic training, and honorably discharged veterans. The threshold is the same for open and concealed carry.
The 21 Rule Under Permitless Carry
Since July 2021, Tennessee has allowed qualifying adults to carry a handgun openly or concealed without a permit. Three things have to be true at once: you’re at least 21, you’re legally allowed to possess a firearm under both state and federal law, and you’re somewhere you have a right to be.1Memphis Police Department. TN Permitless Handgun Carry
Age is the piece most people ask about, but it isn’t a standalone key. A 25-year-old with a disqualifying felony conviction cannot carry under this law any more than an 18-year-old civilian can. The 21 threshold is a floor, not a green light.
The 18-Year-Old Military Exception
Tennessee lowers the carry age to 18 for a defined group tied to military service. The permitless carry statute recognizes anyone on active duty in the U.S. armed forces and anyone who has been honorably discharged. The Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit statute, which uses the same age categories, spells out the reserve component in more detail and extends the 18-year-old exception to members of the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve who have completed basic training.2Justia Law. Tennessee Code 39-17-1351 – Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit
Basic training is the trigger for reservists and Guard members. If you’ve enlisted but haven’t yet completed basic, the 18-year-old exception doesn’t apply to you.
If You’re 18 to 20 With No Military Connection
If you’re between 18 and 20 and have no qualifying military status, carrying a handgun in public in Tennessee is illegal. It doesn’t matter whether you carry openly or concealed, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re willing to apply for a permit. Both permit statutes and the permitless carry law use the same minimum age, so there is no permit path that lets a civilian under 21 carry.
Age Rules for the Two Tennessee Permits
Tennessee offers two carry permits, and both carry the same age requirements as permitless carry: 21 for civilians, 18 for the military and veteran categories above.2Justia Law. Tennessee Code 39-17-1351 – Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit The permits exist not to lower the age but to give carriers things permitless carry cannot: reciprocity with other states and access to locations that remain off-limits to permitless carriers.
Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit
The Enhanced permit covers both open and concealed carry and is valid for eight years. Applicants must complete an eight-hour handgun safety course from a Tennessee-certified school before applying.3TN.gov. Training Requirement Options for Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit Military applicants who can show equivalent training may be exempt from the classroom and range portions. The standard application fee is $100, or $65 for active-duty military and honorably discharged service members. A lifetime Enhanced permit runs $300, or $265 for military.4TN.gov. Handgun Permit Fees
Concealed Handgun Carry Permit
Tennessee has also issued a Concealed Handgun Carry Permit since January 2020. This one restricts you to concealed carry and blocks you from carrying at any school or university, public or private. The Enhanced permit has no such blanket school restriction. A name-based background check runs every five years for concealed permit holders.5TN.gov. Handgun Permit Types
Federal Age Gap for Buying vs. Carrying
Tennessee’s carry age and the federal purchase age don’t line up, and this trips up younger carriers. Federal law prohibits licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to anyone under 21. A person under 18 cannot legally possess a handgun at all under federal law, with narrow exceptions.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
The practical result for an 18-to-20-year-old service member who can legally carry in Tennessee: you can possess a handgun, but you cannot buy one from a licensed dealer. Private sales between individuals remain legal under federal law for buyers 18 and older, and that’s how most young service members in this age group end up acquiring a handgun.
The constitutionality of age-based handgun restrictions is being tested in federal court. In 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a case in which the Eighth Circuit struck down Minnesota’s ban on carry permits for 18-to-20-year-olds, letting that ruling stand. Similar challenges are moving through other federal courts, and the age rules for young adult carry may shift.
Age Alone Isn’t Enough
Being 21, or being 18 with qualifying military status, only clears one bar. Tennessee and federal law list several conditions that disqualify a person from possessing or carrying a handgun regardless of age.
A felony conviction disqualifies you unless you’ve been pardoned, had the conviction expunged, or had your civil rights restored through a process that doesn’t specifically bar firearm possession. Possessing a handgun after a felony conviction is itself a Class E felony. A domestic violence conviction as defined by federal law bars possession while the disabilities of that conviction remain in effect, and a stalking conviction bars you from carrying with the intent to go armed.7Justia Law. Tennessee Code 39-17-1307 – Unlawful Carrying or Possession of a Weapon
DUI convictions carry their own timed restrictions. One DUI conviction within the past five years, or two or more within the past ten years, makes it illegal to carry a firearm with the intent to go armed. Anyone subject to an active order of protection that meets federal requirements is also barred from possessing a firearm.7Justia Law. Tennessee Code 39-17-1307 – Unlawful Carrying or Possession of a Weapon
Mental health adjudications and substance abuse also disqualify. You cannot possess a handgun in Tennessee if you have been adjudicated as mentally defective, committed to a mental institution, had a conservator appointed due to a mental condition, or been judicially determined to be disabled by mental illness or developmental disability. A court finding within the past seven years that you pose an immediate, substantial likelihood of serious harm disqualifies you. So does being an unlawful user of or addicted to alcohol or a controlled substance, or having been in court-ordered rehabilitation or hospitalized for substance abuse within the past ten years (three years if voluntary).
Tennessee does offer a way to restore firearm rights after a mental health adjudication or commitment. You can petition the chancery court for relief, but only after at least three years from the date of release or the date of the adjudication order, whichever comes later.8Justia Law. Tennessee Code 16-11-202 – Relief From Firearm Disabilities Imposed on Persons Adjudicated as Mental Defective or Judicially Committed to Mental Institution
If you meet the age requirement and clear these disqualifiers, you’re eligible to carry in Tennessee. If any of them apply, age doesn’t rescue you.