FAQs

The mission of Voices for a Safer Tennessee is to build safer, healthier communities by reducing preventable firearm tragedies across Tennessee. We are founded by, led by, and funded by Tennesseans, committed to Tennessee solutions.

Our organization formed in the days following the Covenant School shooting in March 2023. We began as a group of parents concerned about the trajectory of firearm violence in this country, specifically in our home state of Tennessee. The Covenant shooting served as a catalyst to action for many of us, but we also know the issue of gun violence is much larger than instances of mass violence.

We are not anti-gun; we are pro responsible firearm ownership. Many members of our coalition are avid hunters and gun owners who understand the importance of securing firearms and keeping them out of the hands of criminals, children, and those with serious mental illness.

We are nonpartisan. Our members include Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and people who are not affiliated with a political party. 

Firearms are the #1 cause of death for Tennessee children. Our state is #1 in the nation for guns stolen from cars, #3 in the nation for unintentional shootings by children, and in the top 10 states with the highest rates of firearm violence. Tennessee’s rate of suicide by firearm is 50% higher than the national average.

Polling by Voices for a Safer Tennessee, Fox News, and Vanderbilt University shows that the vast majority of Tennessee voters – both Republicans and Democrats — support firearm safety laws that are proven to save lives. Our organization is committed to engaging this majority to let our elected officials know Tennessee voters want change that makes our children and communities safer.

We see reason for hope. 

Following the tragic Uvalde school shooting in May 2022, voters said they had enough. We saw Republicans and Democrats in Congress come together after years of inaction and pass the most significant piece of federal firearm safety legislation in nearly 30 years, called the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. 

In 2023, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a strong Second Amendment proponent, paused after the Covenant tragedy and recognized we need to do something different. He introduced an order of protection law. 

Now, we are seeing Tennessee lawmakers on both sides of the aisle having substantive conversations on firearm safety. 

We are seeing progress. But we need more Tennessee voices to engage with lawmakers and keep them coming back to the table on this issue. Change takes time. We have to persist and celebrate incremental wins on the way to achieving bigger change.

Mental health is definitely an important factor – especially with our state’s high suicide rate – but only about 4% of gun violence in the community is attributable to severe mental illness. Solving our mental health crisis alone will not solve our epidemic of firearm deaths. Mental health, firearm safety, and community safety are all equally important. 

Tennessee’s firearm suicide rate is nearly 50% higher than the national average. Suicide is disproportionately affecting older white men, our veterans, and our rural counties. For example, East Tennessee has a suicide rate that’s double that of the Memphis region. Temporary transfer laws, one of Safer TN’s three policy priorities, has been proven to reduce suicides in states that have implemented it.

In the last decade, changes to our state’s firearm laws have enabled Tennesseans to store loaded firearms in unoccupied vehicles and to carry firearms without a permit, background check, or any training. 

Providing easier access for law-abiding citizens has unintentionally created a critical problem around secure storage, making it easier for criminals, juveniles, children, and those with mental illness to access firearms. 

For example, in 2013, Tennessee passed a law that had the unintended consequence of dramatically increasing the number of guns stolen from cars. Within a decade, the number of firearms stolen from cars went from less than 50 statewide to over 5,000 annually. Over that same period, crimes against persons involving firearms more than doubled. We are now #1 in the nation for guns stolen from cars.

When we at Voices for a Safer Tennessee formulated our policy positions, we looked at what the data was telling us, and we considered what is possible – what can garner bipartisan support. 

No single law solves this problem. But there are several that, when taken together, have been shown to meaningfully move the needle. That’s why we are advocating for: 

• Expanded background checks
• Temporary transfer laws
• Secure storage of firearms 

All three have been proven to reduce firearm deaths, and all have majority support among Tennessee voters, including a majority of Republican primary voters.

In Tennessee, background checks are only required if the firearm is purchased from a federally licensed firearm dealer, such as Walmart, Bass Pro Shops, your local gun and ammo shop, or a pawn shop. 

Gun sales between private citizens, online sales, and most sales at gun shows in our state do not require a background check, making it easy for criminals to access firearms. We at Voices for a Safer Tennessee are working to change this. 

Background checks are an effective way to keep guns out of the hands of felons, domestic abusers, and those with serious mental illness. States with universal background check laws require background checks to be completed for all firearms transactions.  Studies have shown that states with universal background check laws have experienced a 13%–15% reduction in firearm homicides.

Prospective gun buyers fill out a standard form, and the dealer enters that information into our state background check system, called TICS. Within minutes, the gun dealer will receive a response of “Proceed,” “Denied” or “Delayed.” If delayed, that means the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation needs additional time to research this individual’s record. This might occur, for example, if a buyer had previously been charged with a crime, but his or her record is missing the outcome of that case. Most background checks take less than 5 minutes.

Right now, there is no legal pathway in Tennessee to prevent a person who shows credible warning signs of suicide or harming others from buying and possessing  firearms. A temporary transfer law is a mechanism that allows authorities to act on warning signs, rather than waiting for tragedies to occur.

Families and law enforcement are often the first to observe warning signs. Temporary transfer laws create a legal process where law enforcement, at a minimum, can petition the court for an order that would temporarily restrict a person’s access to firearms if they are shown to be an imminent risk to themselves or others. 

Temporary transfer can not only allow intervention before a mass shooting, it can also serve as an effective tool in suicide prevention. 

Yes, it is possible to have a temporary transfer law that respects the Second Amendment and protects the public. Twenty-one states already have them on the books under various names. Courts are upholding these laws against constitutional challenges, finding they respect due process and do not violate the Second Amendment.

Due process is built into every step: A final temporary transfer order can be issued only after a hearing where the person is given advance notice and has an opportunity to be heard and respond to evidence. Firearms must be returned to the owner when the order expires. 

The legal process for temporary transfer follows well-established, careful considerations for due process and requires a high standard of evidence. Anyone asking for a temporary transfer of firearms must present evidence to a judge and prove the individual in question is likely to harm themselves or others. Courts have historically set a high bar and require much more evidence than simply a mental illness diagnosis.

To prevent misuse of this law, any temporary transfer law in Tennessee should have hefty penalties for malicious false reporting, in addition to the general penalties for perjury or false statements under oath.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation and the U.S. Concealed Carry Association recommend that firearms be stored locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition. Unloaded firearms should be stored in a locked cabinet, safe, gun vault, or storage case. They can also be secured with a gun lock that renders the firearm inoperable.

Secure storage not only protects the firearm against theft, but it also protects the safety of anyone who shouldn’t have access, especially children. This issue is particularly acute in Tennessee, where we are in the top three states for accidental shootings by children and lead the nation in firearm thefts from vehicles. Stolen firearms fall directly into the hands of criminals and are often later used to commit violent crimes.

In 2013, a law was passed that allows any legal gun owner to store loaded guns in their vehicles, even on someone else’s private property where weapons are prohibited. The result of this law is that Tennessee leads the nation in guns stolen from vehicles — more than 30,000 stolen weapons since the law’s passage.

While the law does require the gun to be stored out of sight and locked, there is no enforcement mechanism. If somebody leaves an unsecured firearm in an unlocked car in plain sight and it’s stolen, nothing happens to the irresponsible gun owner, even if the stolen gun is later used to commit a crime.

Safer Tennessee is focused on firearm safety solutions that have bipartisan support and are proven to save lives. We have reviewed every bill that touches our issues. Our policy director and legislative team have been at the Capitol every week, attending key hearings and meeting with legislators, and we’ve retained professional lobbyists to help us determine and execute our legislative strategy. 

As bills advance that would benefit from public engagement, we’ll be activating our 25,000+ member coalition to weigh in with their elected officials. Be sure to sign up for our emails and follow us on social media to get regular policy updates. 

1. VOTE in both primaries and general elections. Tennessee has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country. If we don’t support lawmakers who make firearm safety a priority, we can’t expect laws to change. Not sure you are registered? Check here. You can also look up election dates here.
2. ENGAGE YOUR NETWORK. Ask your friends and family to get involved on this issue, especially those who live in rural Tennessee. There is a perception that this is just an urban problem, but the data demonstrates that’s not the case. Rural lawmakers need to hear that firearm safety is an issue that’s important to rural Tennesseans as well. 
3. CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS. Let your state representative or senator know you support safe firearms policies with a phone call, email, or in-person meeting. Firearm safety can be an emotional topic, but we can discuss it respectfully. Express your opinion politely, and let them know you feel we’re headed in the wrong direction. Here is a guide to help.

Go to www.safertn.org/take-action to learn more and to find more ways to make your voice heard.

The Voices for a Safer Tennessee Community Education Fund is hosted by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and is a 501c3. These resources can fund a majority of our organization’s operating expenses and are focused on:

• Communication to our coalition to educate their communities on firearm safety.
• Visibility materials to spread awareness about Safer TN (buttons, posters for businesses, legislative presence signs, yard signs, and billboards to come).
• Public Safety Announcements (PSAs) on TV and streaming online related to our policy priorities.
• Policy research and polling on firearm safety proposals.
• Donations to this fund are tax deductible as charitable contributions as defined by the IRS.

The Voices for a Safer Tennessee Advocacy Fund is a 501c4, is internal to Safer TN, and the resources are focused on:

• Engaging professional lobbyists to advance our policy priorities at the TN General Assembly.
• Targeted communication (direct mail, email, social media ads, and door to door canvassing) related to constituents contacting elected officials about filed legislation.
• A source of funding for a Political Action Committee (PAC) that will donate to the campaigns of incumbent elected officials and candidates who support pragmatic firearm safety policies.

Learn more about how gifts to Safer TN are used.