Order online, pick up at a licensed dealer in Knox County. Knoxville sits in the Tennessee Valley where the Holston and French Broad rivers join to make the Tennessee, with the University of Tennessee, the Sunsphere and the Old City stacked along the north bank. The Great Smoky Mountains rise about thirty miles southeast, and the Cumberlands close off the view to the northwest.
Pick an FFL dealer near you that accepts shipped transfers and name it at checkout. We confirm their license and ship the firearm to them. Ammunition, optics and parts ship straight to your door where Tennessee law allows.
Tennessee has no permit to purchase, no firearm registration and no state waiting period. At a licensed dealer you show photo ID, complete ATF Form 4473, and the dealer runs the check through the Tennessee Instant Check System operated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation rather than calling the federal system directly. TBI states that a Tennessee handgun carry permit does not stand in for that check, because the permit has no annual criminal-history recheck. Federal law sets the dealer minimum at 18 for rifles and shotguns and 21 for handguns. Once the check comes back proceed, you take the firearm home the same day.
Dealers in these communities all work for Knoxville-area buyers:
Tennessee has allowed handgun carry without a permit since July 1, 2021 under Tenn. Code Ann. 39-17-1307. After the 2023 agreed order in Beeler v. Long and a 2025 change to the permit statute, adults 18 and older who may lawfully possess a handgun may carry it openly or concealed where they are lawfully present. Permits are still issued statewide by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, not by the county. The enhanced permit costs $100 for eight years or $300 for life, and the concealed-only permit costs $65. Courts, school property and posted private property stay off-limits.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency runs one statewide deer season and splits antlerless limits among six Deer Management Units. For 2026-27, archery runs September 26 to October 30 and November 2 to 6, 2026, muzzleloader and archery November 7 to 20, and the gun season November 21, 2026 through January 3, 2027. The statewide limit is two antlered deer, one per day, with antlerless days set by unit. Knox County sits in Unit 5 and most Smokies counties in Unit 6. Any legal rifle, muzzleloader, shotgun or handgun may be used in gun season; check the Knox County listing before you hunt.
Knox County is in Deer Management Unit 5, where antlerless days are tighter than on the plateau. The John Sevier Hunter Education Center on Rifle Range Road is the agency range inside the county, and Chuck Swan State Forest sits forty minutes north across Norris Lake.
Ijams Nature Center and the Urban Wilderness quarries sit just south of downtown, and the Tennessee River carries barge traffic and bass boats past Neyland Stadium on game weekends.
These are the public shooting ranges the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency runs itself. Everyone 16 and older needs a range permit, and at most sites a valid Tennessee hunting or combination license counts instead; buy it through the agency licensing system before you drive out.
Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency public shooting range list, September 2026. Distances are approximate; call or check the agency site before you drive out.
Yes. Order here, name a licensed FFL dealer in Farragut, Alcoa, Maryville, Knoxville or anywhere in Knox County, and we ship the firearm to them. You fill out ATF Form 4473 at their counter and they run the background check.
No. Tennessee has no permit to purchase and no firearm registration. You complete Form 4473 and pass a Tennessee Instant Check System background check at the licensed dealer near Knoxville who receives your order.
No. Tennessee sets no state waiting period. Once the dealer's TICS check comes back proceed, you can take the firearm the same day.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security issues every handgun permit in the state, so the Knox County sheriff does not. You apply online, get fingerprinted and finish a department-approved handgun course unless you are exempt.
We ship every firearm to a licensed dealer near Knoxville that you pick at checkout, never to your home. The dealer runs the background check and hands the gun over; ammunition, optics and most parts ship to your door.
Yes, if you are 18 or older and may lawfully possess a handgun. You may carry openly or concealed where you are lawfully present, and you must stay out of courts, school property and posted places.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency runs a short list of public ranges, including the John Sevier Hunter Education Center in Knoxville and the Chuck Swan range in Union County. Everyone 16 and older needs a range permit or a valid hunting license, so buy one before you go.
Each dealer sets its own fee, commonly $20 to $75. Call before you order to confirm the price and that they accept firearms shipped from an online store.
General information, not legal advice. Rules current as of September 2026. See our Tennessee gun law overview and check with Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Handgun Permit Office or a local attorney about your own situation.