AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, relative to criminal offenses.
Summary
HB1190 creates two new criminal offenses in Tennessee law. First, it makes it an offense to knowingly obtain or exercise control over a motor vehicle without the owner’s effective consent, with the intent to deprive the owner of the vehicle; that conduct is punished as theft, with the penalty determined by the vehicle’s value. It also separately makes it a Class E felony to exercise control over a motor vehicle knowing the person does not have the owner’s permission.
Second, the bill makes it a Class A misdemeanor to possess a firearm that a person knows or reasonably should know is stolen. The bill allows the affirmative defenses already available under Tennessee’s stolen-property statute to be raised in prosecutions under this new firearm offense. The act is set to take effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill would add new provisions to Title 39, Chapter 14 of the Tennessee Code, expanding the state’s theft- and stolen-property-related criminal laws. It would specifically create a vehicle-related offense tied to unauthorized control of a motor vehicle and a separate offense targeting possession of stolen firearms, thereby giving prosecutors additional tools to charge conduct involving auto theft and stolen guns. The bill would affect people accused of unauthorized vehicle use, vehicle theft, and possession of stolen firearms, and would subject them to theft penalties, a Class E felony, or a Class A misdemeanor depending on the conduct charged.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes are provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, amendments, or opposition in the available record. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to reflect a public-safety and anti-theft approach, with a focus on deterring vehicle theft and the circulation of stolen firearms. The absence of recorded discussion makes the overall legislative sentiment difficult to assess beyond the bill’s law-enforcement-oriented framing.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are the breadth of the new motor-vehicle offense and the criminalization of possession of a stolen firearm when a person “reasonably should know” it was stolen. Critics could question whether the bill overlaps with existing theft statutes, whether the mental-state standard is too broad, or whether the penalties are proportionate, especially for the Class E felony vehicle provision. Supporters would likely emphasize the need for stronger tools against auto theft and stolen-gun trafficking, but no specific objections or supporters are identified in the available materials.