TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Jul 8, 2026

The Tennessee Court of Appeals is reviewing a challenge to two state gun laws — the "intent-to-go-armed" statute and a park-carry restriction — but the Tennessee Journal reports that recent oral arguments focused more on whether the state's three-judge chancery panel had authority to hear the cases than on the Second Amendment merits. A trial panel ruled in August 2025 that both laws were unconstitutional, though it did not enjoin enforcement, and the appeals court has stayed that decision pending review. The state argued that such challenges belong in circuit court or should be raised as a defense in criminal proceedings, while plaintiffs' counsel maintained the panel was designed to handle exactly this kind of case. A lawsuit challenging the new laws was filed in 2023 by Gun Owners of America and individual plaintiffs.