AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39 and Title 55, relative to road rage.
Summary
HB1191 creates the “Anti-Road Rage Act of 2024” and adds new criminal offenses to Tennessee law for firearm conduct involving a motor vehicle. Under the bill, a person who, while operating or riding as a passenger in a motor vehicle, recklessly discharges a firearm commits a Class E felony. The bill also makes it a Class A misdemeanor for a person in a motor vehicle to recklessly brandish or display a firearm.
The measure is aimed at dangerous firearm behavior associated with road rage and similar incidents on Tennessee roads. It applies to both drivers and passengers and focuses on reckless conduct, rather than requiring proof of intent to harm. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025, and would add new provisions to Title 39 of the Tennessee Code Annotated.
Impact
HB1191 would expand Tennessee criminal law by creating a new part in Title 39, Chapter 17, specifically addressing firearm use in vehicles. It would establish two new offenses: reckless discharge of a firearm from or in a motor vehicle as a Class E felony, and reckless brandishing or display of a firearm from or in a motor vehicle as a Class A misdemeanor. The bill would affect motorists, passengers, and law enforcement by giving prosecutors additional tools to charge firearm-related road rage conduct.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill was received favorably in committee, with the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee voting 8-0 to defer it to summer study. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate to indicate broader support or opposition. Overall, the bill appears to have been treated as a public-safety measure rather than a controversial proposal at this stage.
Contention
The main policy issue is how broadly to criminalize firearm conduct in vehicles and whether the bill’s focus on “reckless” discharge or display is the right threshold for punishment. Potential concerns could include enforcement discretion, overlap with existing firearm or assault laws, and whether the misdemeanor/felony distinctions are appropriately calibrated. Because the bill was sent to summer study, any unresolved questions likely centered on refining the language or assessing how the new offenses would interact with current criminal statutes.