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How to Sell a Gun in Tennessee
Selling a firearm in Tennessee is legal for most law-abiding adults, but the process must follow both federal law and Tennessee state regulations. This guide covers what private sellers need to know to sell legally and responsibly.
- legal
- safe
- bill of sale
How to Sell a Gun in Tennessee — Quick Overview
- Who Can Sell: Most law-abiding adults who legally own a firearm may sell it in Tennessee
- Private Sales: Legal between eligible Tennessee residents — no background check required
- Background Check: Required only if selling through a licensed dealer
- Waiting Period: None
- Prohibited Transfers: Cannot sell to anyone under 18 or any person prohibited under federal law
- License Required: Only if you regularly sell for profit (federal FFL required)
- Gun Registration: Not required — no need to report private sales to the state
- Bill of Sale: Not legally required but strongly recommended — protects the seller from future liability
Table of Contents
Who Can Legally Sell a Gun in Tennessee
Age Requirements for Selling a Gun in Tennessee
Selling a Gun Through a Licensed Dealer in Tennessee
How to Sell a Gun Privately in Tennessee
Step-by-Step Guide to Selling a Gun
Why Many Sellers Use GunTransfer
Waiting Periods and Registration in Tennessee
Tennessee Gun Laws Every Seller Should Understand
FAQ About Selling a Gun in Tennessee
Tennessee Runs Its Own Background Checks
Who Can Legally Sell a Gun in Tennessee
Under federal law and Tennessee law, most adults who legally own a firearm may sell it privately. However, the seller bears responsibility for not transferring to a prohibited person.
To legally sell a firearm, a person generally must:
- Be legally eligible to possess firearms under federal law
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Not be engaged in the business of dealing firearms without a federal FFL
- Sell only to buyers who are eligible to receive firearms
Federal law prohibits certain individuals from possessing or transferring firearms. A seller who knowingly transfers to a prohibited person commits a serious federal crime.
A seller must not transfer a firearm to persons who:
- Have been convicted of a felony
- Have been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor
- Are subject to a qualifying restraining or protective order
- Are unlawful users of or addicted to controlled substances
- Have been adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution
- Are under 18 years of age
- Are illegal aliens or have renounced U.S. citizenship
Knowingly selling to a prohibited person is a serious federal crime — punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. Always verify the buyer’s eligibility.
Understanding these requirements is the essential first step before selling any firearm in Tennessee. GunTransfer performs a background check on all buyers and generates a bill of sale that protects the seller.
Age Requirements for Selling a Gun in Tennessee
21
years old minimum to sell or trade handguns at a dealer
18
18
18
Selling a Gun Through a Licensed Dealer in Tennessee
Typical process when selling through a dealer:
Selling through a dealer means you are not responsible for vetting the buyer — the FFL handles all required background checks. It is the simplest way to ensure a fully compliant transfer in Tennessee.
How to Sell a Gun Privately in Tennessee
Tennessee law allows private firearm sales between individuals. This means a firearm owner may legally sell a gun directly to another Tennessee resident without going through a licensed dealer.
Private firearm sales are common when:
- Selling a used firearm to another gun owner
- Selling inherited firearms
- Selling to a friend, family member, or collector
Both buyers and sellers remain responsible for complying with federal firearm laws. The seller must not knowingly transfer to a prohibited person. GunTransfer performs a background check on the buyer and documents the transfer with a legally sound bill of sale.
Although Tennessee does not require official documentation for most private firearm transfers, many sellers use GunTransfer to create a clear record that ownership has transferred — protecting them from future liability.
TENNESSEE GUN SALE QUICK REFERENCE
| SALE TYPE | BACKGROUND CHECK | WAITING PERIOD | KEY NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed Dealer | Required — FBI NICS | None | 21+ handguns, 18+ long guns. |
| Carry Permit Holders | NICS Exempt | None | Valid Tennessee carry permit bypasses NICS. |
| Private Sale | Not Required | None | Both parties eligible. Bill of sale recommended. |
| Online Purchase | Required at receiving FFL | None | Ships to Tennessee FFL. |
| Constitutional Carry | Not applicable | None | No permit required for eligible adults 21+. |
Step-by-Step
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Sell a Gun in Tennessee
The process for legally selling a firearm privately in Tennessee generally includes the following steps.
1
Confirm your eligibility to sell
Make sure you are legally permitted to possess and transfer firearms under federal and Tennessee law.
2
Assess the firearm’s value
Research fair market value using online guides or get a local dealer appraisal.
3
Find a qualified buyer
Locate a buyer through personal contacts or local channels. Verify the buyer is a Tennessee resident for private handgun sales.
4
Verify buyer identity and age
Request a valid government-issued photo ID. Confirm the buyer is at least 18 years old. Ask if they are a prohibited person — you must not knowingly sell to one.
5
Document the transfer with a bill of sale
Use GunTransfer to generate a bill of sale recording both parties, the firearm description, serial number, sale price, and date. GunTransfer also performs a background check on the buyer.
6
File your copy
Store your signed GunTransfer bill of sale securely — it is your permanent proof that the firearm left your possession on a specific date, critical if it is ever questioned.
We handle the legal part for you.
You know the rules now — here’s the easy part. A real background check on the buyer, a signed bill of sale, and permanent records, done from your phone in about 10 minutes. Flat $50.
Why Many Sellers Use GunTransfer
Private firearm sales are legal in Tennessee, but without documentation there is no proof that ownership transferred — leaving the original owner potentially connected to any future incident involving the firearm.
Document the firearm’s serial number and full description
Record the exact date ownership transferred away from you
Protect yourself from future liability if the gun is later misused
Demonstrate responsible, law-abiding gun ownership
For sellers, a documented GunTransfer bill of sale is proof the firearm left your hands on a specific date — which can be critical if the gun is later lost, stolen, or involved in an incident. GunTransfer makes this documentation simple for every private sale in Tennessee.
Waiting Periods and Registration in Tennessee
Tennessee does not impose a waiting period on firearm sales. Once both parties agree and the transfer is documented, the firearm may change hands immediately — for both dealer sales and private sales.
Tennessee also does not require firearm registration for private citizens. Sellers are not required to report a private sale to the state.
While no waiting period applies, sellers should still take the time to verify buyer identity and complete a GunTransfer bill of sale before handing over the firearm.
Tennessee Gun Laws Every Seller Should Understand
Although Tennessee has relatively permissive private sale laws, sellers should understand these important regulations before completing any transfer:
- You cannot sell to any prohibited person under federal law — doing so is a serious federal crime regardless of whether a background check was conducted
- You cannot sell to anyone under 18 years of age
- Direct private transfers are legal — no dealer required, but you must not knowingly sell to a prohibited person
- Selling a stolen firearm is a crime under both state and federal law
- If you regularly sell firearms for profit, you must obtain a federal FFL — unlicensed dealing is a federal felony
Frequently Asked
Questions
Do I need a license to sell a gun in Tennessee?
No. Private sales do not require a federal firearms license.
Do I have to run a background check on the buyer in Tennessee?
Is a bill of sale required for private gun sales in Tennessee?
Can I sell a gun online in Tennessee?
Tennessee Runs Its Own Background Checks
Sell through a licensed dealer in Tennessee and the dealer does not contact the FBI. Tennessee is a full point-of-contact state: ATF's Permanent Brady State Lists route every firearm transaction through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which runs the Tennessee Instant Check System and submits the federal check on the dealer's behalf. The dealer is talking to the state and the state is talking to the FBI, which is why general advice about calling NICS and waiting describes something that does not happen in Tennessee.
No permit issued by Tennessee shortcuts that check. The Tennessee row on ATF's Permanent Brady Permit Chart reads None, and that is the whole answer to the question buyers ask most often: a carry permit issued by Tennessee, however recently, does not exempt its holder from the check at a dealer. The exemption in 18 U.S.C. § 922(t)(3)(A) only operates where the issuing state's permit appears on that chart. Budget for the check on every sale rather than hoping a permit will carry the day, and tell your buyer the same before he drives to meet you.
A denial in Tennessee is appealed to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and not to the FBI, because that is the body that made the decision. It is the most useful thing you can tell a buyer who has just been turned down at the counter, and it is the part sellers get wrong, because advice written for the country as a whole sends him to the FBI. The firearm stays with the dealer or comes back to you while it is sorted out.
All of the above describes a sale that goes through a dealer. A private sale between two Tennessee residents is a different transaction: Tennessee does not require a background check on a private transfer, so no check is run at all unless you choose to put the sale through a dealer. Many sellers choose exactly that, and the reason is not the law — it is that a dealer's record is the only proof you will ever have of who took the gun and when.
Verified October 2026
Explore All GUN Laws across the country
50 State Guides
How to Sell a Gun by State → How to Buy a Gun by State → Gun Transfer Laws by State → Background Check Laws by State → Private Gun Sale Laws by State → Gun Waiting Period Laws by State → Gun Inheritance Laws by State →Tennessee Guides
How to Buy a Gun in Tennessee → Gun Transfer Laws in Tennessee → Private Gun Sale Laws in Tennessee → Background Check Laws in Tennessee → Waiting Period Laws in Tennessee → Gun Inheritance Laws in Tennessee →Ready to Transfer ?
Tennessee Firearm Sale Resources: ATF — Identifying Prohibited Persons | ATF — Brady Law & 3-Day Default Rule | FBI NICS | Giffords — Tennessee Gun Laws | ATF State Laws & Ordinances
A handshake isn’t a transfer.
Make it legal.
In Tennessee, the seller carries the federal liability. One undocumented sale to the wrong person is the difference between a clean record and 18 U.S.C. § 922(d). For \$50, you get proof you did it right.
- Real background check on the buyerMulti-source federal, state & county criminal + sex-offender records.
- Official bill of sale, signed by both partiesElectronic. Documented to hold up in court.
- Lifetime digital records in your Gun VaultPull them 5, 10, 20 years from now.
- Done from your phone in ~10 minutesNo gun-shop visit required in Tennessee.
I almost burned half a Saturday driving to a gun shop. Instead I did it from my phone for fifty bucks.— Brandon T., verified seller
Secure checkout · No FFL markup · No range fees · Flat $50 every time.
About this guide
- Published by
- Gun Transfer, which has handled private firearm transfers since 2016. Written and maintained in-house.
- Sources
- Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 921–931), the ATF’s published rules and guidance, and the statutes of the state this page covers. Primary sources are linked throughout the text above so you can check any of it yourself.
- Last reviewed
- . Firearm law changes often, and a page that was right in April can be wrong by August.
- Found something wrong?
- Tell us and we will check it: info@guntransfer.com or 855-750-5500.
This is general information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm and no attorney has reviewed this page. Firearm law varies by state and by situation, and the consequences of getting it wrong fall on you — so verify anything you are relying on against your state’s current statute, or ask a lawyer licensed there.
