Tennessee Courts Demand Gun Accountability in Domestic Violence Cases, Facing NRA Opposition
A growing number of Tennessee counties are enacting stricter measures to ensure individuals ordered to relinquish firearms in domestic violence cases actually do so, a response to investigative reporting and stalled state-level reforms.
Tennessee judges are increasingly prioritizing the safety of domestic violence victims by demanding greater accountability from those legally prohibited from possessing guns. This shift comes after state lawmakers, facing resistance from gun rights groups, delayed a bill that would have implemented these changes statewide.
Recent investigations by WPLN and ProPublica revealed significant gaps in Tennessee’s gun laws and enforcement, allowing firearms to remain accessible to individuals with a history of domestic violence. The state consistently ranks among those with the highest rates of women killed by men, with firearms being the weapon of choice in most of these homicides. Analysis from the news organizations found that approximately one in four victims of fatal domestic violence incidents involving guns were killed by someone legally barred from owning a firearm.
Currently, Tennessee law prohibits individuals convicted of domestic violence charges or subject to protective orders from possessing guns. While these individuals are required to surrender their firearms, the state does not mandate disclosure of who receives the weapon. This lack of oversight, advocates argue, hinders efforts to confirm compliance and ensure guns are transferred to legally eligible individuals.
“The [state’s] form is really incomplete,” stated a senior official with Nashville’s Office of Family Safety. “We can’t have someone dispossess of their firearm lawfully if we don’t know who they’re giving the gun to.”
Scott County, in East Tennessee, has emerged as a model for reform. The county now requires individuals surrendering firearms to provide a sworn affidavit detailing the recipient’s identity and address. The recipient is also asked to sign an affidavit confirming receipt of the weapon. These enhanced accountability measures are not reflected in the state’s standard gun-dispossession form.
At least nine counties, including the state’s two largest – Davidson and Shelby – have independently amended their local gun dispossession affidavits to include this crucial information. Advocates report that additional counties are actively considering similar changes.
“When I heard about what Scott County was doing, I was shocked,” said Shelby County Judge Greg Gilbert, who proactively adjusted his court’s form upon learning of the counties’ independent authority to do so. “It does make it a little more likely that people will take this seriously.”
Last year, a bipartisan effort in the state legislature sought to standardize Scott County’s more rigorous form statewide. However, the bill was postponed until 2026 following opposition from the Tennessee Firearms Association and the National Rifle Association. Both organizations declined to comment on the matter at the time. Senator Becky Massey, a Republican representing Knox County and a sponsor of the bill, expressed willingness to reintroduce the legislation contingent on support from her House counterpart, Representative Kelly Keisling. Representative Keisling, whose district encompasses Scott County, indicated uncertainty regarding the bill’s future.
Earlier this month, advocates pressed the state’s council on domestic violence to endorse the amended form. This effort was temporarily thwarted by a procedural issue, but the group plans to revisit the proposal at its March meeting.
“We really do not have a minute to lose,” emphasized the official from Nashville’s Office of Family Safety, who has championed this reform since a 2018 shooting at a Waffle House – where the perpetrator traveled with a firearm he was legally prohibited from possessing. “This is a battle that we have been fighting around a form for years, and it could affect someone in the next minute.”
