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Tennessee Transporting Firearms Laws (2026)
Permitted: In Tennessee, anyone who is not prohibited may carry or keep a loaded handgun anywhere in a privately owned vehicle, without a permit.
General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.
Transporting Firearms in states bordering Tennessee
The same rule in each neighboring state LawLert has verified, from that state’s own official source.
- AlabamaPermitted
Alabama hasn't required a permit to carry a loaded handgun in a private vehicle since January 1, 2023. Don't touch the handgun during a stop unless the officer directs you to.
Verified May 31, 2026 · Source: alabamaag.gov · Full Alabama rule →
- ArkansasPermitted
No license is needed to carry a loaded handgun in a vehicle in Arkansas if you are 18 or older and may lawfully possess one. It is a crime only if you intend to use it unlawfully against a person, and your personal vehicle and a journey are presumed lawful. K-12 school property is off limits (Class D felony), and the statute's exception for a vehicle in school parking areas and drop-off zones is written for license holders only.
Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: dps.arkansas.gov · Full Arkansas rule →
- GeorgiaPermitted
You do not need a license to have a handgun in your own vehicle if you are not legally barred from having one. A lawful weapons carrier may transport a handgun or long gun in any private passenger vehicle. A property owner can generally bar weapons on private property, but Georgia law makes exceptions, such as some employer parking lots, so check before relying on this.
Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: georgia.gov · Full Georgia rule →
- KentuckyPermitted
In Kentucky, anyone 21 or older who can lawfully possess a handgun may carry it in a vehicle, loaded, concealed or openly, without a permit. At any age, a loaded or unloaded handgun is not treated as concealed if it is in a factory-installed compartment such as the glove box, center console, or seat pocket. Under 21 without a license, a handgun concealed on or about you outside such a compartment is a Class A misdemeanor.
Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: wp.kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov · Full Kentucky rule →
- MississippiPermitted
Mississippi doesn't require a permit: anyone 18 or older may carry a concealed handgun within a motor vehicle anywhere in the state.
Verified May 31, 2026 · Source: driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov · Full Mississippi rule →
- MissouriPermitted
Anyone 19 or older, or 18 or older if in or honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces, may carry a lawfully possessed handgun in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle without a permit. Younger people must keep the firearm unloaded with ammunition not readily accessible, or keep the firearm itself not readily accessible.
Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: revisor.mo.gov · Full Missouri rule →
- North CarolinaConditional
In North Carolina, without a concealed handgun permit, a handgun in a vehicle must not be BOTH hidden from view and readily accessible. …
Verified Jul 28, 2026 · Source: ncleg.gov · Full North Carolina rule →
- VirginiaConditional
Without a permit, you may carry a handgun in a private vehicle if it is secured in a container or compartment; it does not have to be locked. A permit is needed to carry it concealed on your person. Since July 1, 2026, knowingly leaving a handgun in an unattended vehicle on a public highway, other public property or a commercial or retail parking area is a Class 4 misdemeanor unless it is out of plain view in a locked hard-sided container. A locked glove compartment or console counts.
Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: law.lis.virginia.gov · Full Virginia rule →
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