Attorney General Opinions 
Relating to County Government

2016 Firearms

• The provisions of T.C.A. § 39-17-1313 allowing handgun carry permit holders to transport and store firearms and ammunition in their vehicle in any public or private parking area take precedence over any conflicting provisions of state law or local ordinance or resolution prohibiting or regulating the possession, transportation, or storage of a firearm or ammunition.  The provisions in T.C.A. § 39-17-1309 prohibiting gun possession in any public or private school building or on any property owned, operated, “or while in use by” a school would apply even when no students or school personnel are present in or on the property being used by the educational institution because the “use” of the property is not limited to the physical occupation of the property by people.   The prohibition would apply to property on which a school stores materials or equipment with no people present.  The possession ban is not dependent on the physical presence of students or school personnel.  Op. Tenn. Att’y Gen. 16-29 (July 27, 2016).