Concealed Handguns Allowed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park if Registered
The recent amendment to the gun permit law—T.C.A. 39-17-1311(b)(1)—also added a federal default regulation allowing persons authorized to carry handguns within the state of Tennessee to carry guns in its national parks so long as bringing the gun into the park does not violate federal law.
Under current federal law, in effect since the Reagan administration, registered gun owners were permitted to bring non-concealed, unloaded weapons into national parks. As of February of 2010, permit holders will be allowed to carry concealed, loaded guns and rifles into any national park or wildlife refuge located within a state that does not ban guns in parks for those who hold valid permits.
Since Tennessee defaults to federal law, visitors will be able to bring registered handguns into such places as,
- Andrew Johnson Historic Site,
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail,
- Big South Fork,
- Chickamauga and Chattanooga Military Park,
- Fort Donelson National Battlefield,
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park,
- Shiloh National Military Park, and
- Stones River National Battlefield.
For more information on Tennessee gun laws, search for related gun crime articles on this site or visit our Baker Associates criminal defense main page.
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