The Tennessee General Assembly has approved Gov. Bill Lee’s legislation to allow most adults to carry handguns without obtaining a permit, a measure some Republicans sought for years to pass.
The bill moves to the governor’s desk amid a renewed debate on gun violence and firearm laws in the U.S after a mass shooting in Atlanta and Boulder, Colorado, claimed the lives of a combined 18 people.
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The push for expanded gun access in Tennessee illustrates wider efforts seen in other Republican-led states such as Iowa and Indiana , where lawmakers have advanced bills that would strike down permit and license restriction.
Tennessee’s permitless carry bill, which supports have dubbed ”constitution carry,” passed the Tennessee House of Representatives 64-29 on Monday night.
Against the bill only five Republicans voted, the bill was approved in the state Senate on March 18 and can now be signed into law by the governor.