Republican Rep Aims To Ban Firearm Purchases For Certain Tennessee “Delinquents” Under Age 25

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Rebecca Scott] –

Representative Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville-District 42) has filed two bills for the 2024 session of the Tennessee General Assembly that aim to limit the purchase of firearms for individuals 25 and under who committed “delinquent acts” as minors.

Both bills would prohibit the purchase of a firearm by a person under the age of 25 who was previously determined to be guilty of certain juvenile offenses from the age of 14 to under 18.

Offenses would be comparable to specific crimes committed by adults that could present concerns regarding public safety including but not limited to assault, cruelty to animals, and threats of mass violence.

House Bill 1599 (HB1599) in summary, “prohibits the purchase or possession of a firearm by a person 18 or older but less than 25 if the person was previously adjudicated delinquent for an act that, if committed by an adult, would have constituted certain offenses; allows the TBI access to juvenile court records for the limited purpose of performing certain background checks prior to the purchase or transfer of a firearm. – Amends TCA Title 18; Title 37 and Title 39.” This bill was filed for introduction on September 7, 2023.

House Bill 1600 (HB1600), filed for introduction on September 27, 2023 is similar to HB1599 but adds provisions for mental health concerns. In summary, HB1600 “prohibits the purchase or possession of a firearm by a person under 25 years of age if the person was previously adjudicated delinquent for an act that, if committed by an adult, would have constituted one or more certain offenses; allows the Tennessee bureau of investigation access to juvenile court records for the limited purpose of performing a background check prior to the purchase or transfer of a firearm to determine whether a person has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental health institution at 16 years of age or older, as required by federal law, or is prohibited from purchasing a firearm because of an adjudication as delinquent. – Amends TCA Title 18; Title 37 and Title 39.”

Governor Lee’s special session held earlier in 2023, sparked by The Covenant School shooting, was meant to address issues of public safety, but, by and large, fell flat in producing much new legislation. An article from The Tennessee Conservative regarding the special session reported that, “At the time, an open letter from Republican lawmakers called the session an ‘expensive, disruptive, futile, and counterproductive publicity stunt.’” 

Lawmakers have been clear that the conversation regarding firearms and public safety will continue when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.

Other firearms and mental health bills, similar to those considered during the Summer Special Session, are expected to resurface as the 2024 session of the General Assembly approaches, including those bills regarding mass violence threats, the closing of child autopsy reports, and the review of school security practices.

At this point, reports indicate that Governor Lee has abandoned his efforts to pass Extreme Risk Protection Order legislation, otherwise known as red flag laws. However, this does not mean that new legislation will not be introduced that seeks to justify the removal of certain individual freedoms in the name of both public and personal safety. 

Rebecca Scott is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Rebecca at Rebecca@tennesseeconservativenews.com.