Tennessee House Bill HB0947

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/10/25
• Refer: 3/26/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33 and Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13, relative to firearms.

Summary

HB0947, known as "Akilah's Law," amends Tennessee firearms law to make it an offense to sell, offer to sell, deliver, or transfer a firearm to a person when the seller knows that person has been a patient in a mental institution within the previous five years. The bill defines "mental institution" broadly to include hospitals, clinics, evaluation facilities, mental health centers, or parts of those facilities used primarily for the care of persons with mental illness. The bill also defines "patient in a mental institution" to include anyone admitted voluntarily or involuntarily, with a narrow exception for voluntary treatment solely for alcohol abuse disorder when no other secondary substance abuse disorder or mental illness is present. The act is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2025.

Impact

The bill would add a new firearms-related offense to Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-1316, expanding the circumstances under which a person may not lawfully transfer a firearm. It would affect firearm sellers, dealers, and other transferors who have actual knowledge that a prospective recipient was recently a patient in a mental institution, and it would create a five-year lookback period tied to mental health treatment history. The measure does not appear to change the definition of prohibited persons generally, but it adds a specific transfer restriction and associated criminal liability under state firearms law.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill had at least some support in committee, passing the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee 6-2 with a recommendation to pass and be referred onward. No committee transcript is available, so the broader discussion record is limited, but the vote indicates the proposal was viewed favorably by a majority of the subcommittee. The bill title and structure suggest it is framed as a public safety measure focused on firearm access and mental health.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely the bill's restriction on firearm transfers based on recent mental health hospitalization or treatment history, which raises concerns about privacy, due process, and the scope of the mental institution definition. Opponents may view the five-year prohibition as overly broad or potentially stigmatizing to people who have received mental health care, while supporters are likely to argue it is a targeted safety measure intended to reduce risk in firearm transfers. The narrow alcohol-treatment exception also suggests lawmakers were trying to balance public safety with limited carveouts, which may have been another area of debate.