NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Efficiency in Handgun Permitting Act, which aims to improve the process for gun owners and lowers the fee associated with obtaining a handgun carry permit is scheduled to be heard in the House Finance, Ways and Means Subcommittee next Wednesday.
House Bill 2575 is part of a package of bills submitted to the legislature by Governor Bill Haslam, according to Rep. Curtis Johnson.
The legislation extends the current five-year handgun carry permit to eight years, lowers the initial handgun permit fee from $115 for five years to $100 for eight years and expands the renewal cycle from six months to eight years after the expiration of a permit before a person must reapply as a “new” applicant.
Under the proposal, background checks will continue to be conducted at the time of initial issuance and at the time of renewal. Additionally, an internal background check will be conducted in the fourth year of the eight-year permit without charge.
It also gives a member of the armed forces, whose permit does not expire while deployed until two months after their return to Tennessee, the same eight-year period after expiration that a civilian has to renew a permit before having to reapply as a new applicant.