HB 1821

T he federal Gun-Free School Zones Act (the "Act"") generally makes it a federal crime to knowingly possess or discharge a firearm in a school zone, which is defined as the grounds of a public, private, or parochial school, or within 1, 000 feet of such grounds . However, t he Act exempts certain individuals licensed by the state or a political subdivision of the state. F or a license to exempt an individual, t he Act requires the issuing authority to have verified that the individual is legally permitted to po ssess the firearm. This exemption generally applies to state-issued concealed carry permits, allowing permit holders to legally carry or pass through a school zone. Article 1, Section 26 of the Constitution of Tennessee provides that the citizens of this s tate have a right to keep and to bear arms for their common defense, but the l egislature has the power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime. I n consideration of the right to keep and bear arms as protected and reserved to the people in the Constitution of Tennessee, this bill clarifies that a person who has not been convicted of a violen t felony crime and who is lawfully able to own or to possess a firearm under the Constitution of Tennessee is considered to be individually licensed and verified by this state within the meaning of the provisions regarding individual licensure and verification in the Act ."