Image Credit: Gov. Bill Lee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Governor Bill Lee has signed into law a bill which will fully ban Glock switches, devices which allow handguns to fire more rapidly, essentially converting them to automatic weapons. The new ban found bipartisan support in the legislature and has been praised by gun control advocates nationwide but has also drawn significant critique from 2nd Amendment supporters.
Introduced this past session as a caption bill by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27) and Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville-District 25), SB1075/HB1093 redefines the term “machine gun” for state law purposes to include Glock switches and increases the penalty relative to machine guns from a Class E to a Class C felony.
The penalty for a Class C felony carries a 3-15 year jail sentence and potentially a fine of up to $10,000 at the jury’s discretion.
According to its summary, the bill was originally presented to extend to 15 days “the amount of written notice of the hearing date and time the department must provide to a person requesting a hearing on the department’s suspension or revocation of the person’s handgun carry permit,” but due to House Amendment 1, the bill does much more.
It expands the offense of unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction of a felony crime of violence and expands the offense of unlawful possession of a handgun to include possession of ammunition.
It further prohibits probation for a person convicted of aggravated assault involving the discharge of a firearm from within a motor vehicle and establishes that a person incarcerated for the offense of aggravated assault, if the offense involved the use of a firearm from within a motor vehicle, must serve 100% of the imposed sentence.
The bill passed 23-8 in the Senate and 67-12 in the House in an unusual display of bipartisan support and gun control advocates have praised the measure as a “meaningful step toward making Tennessee safer for everyone.”
“Banning Glock switches is just common sense — these devices turn everyday guns into illegal machine guns, and they have no place in our communities,” said Linda McFadyen-Ketchum, a volunteer with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action.
Emma Mann, with Vanderbilt Students Demand Action, said, “This is a huge victory for young Tennesseans. My generation has been traumatized by America’s gun violence crisis, and it’s moments like this, after years of advocacy and mobilizing, that make it all worth it. Gun violence is preventable, and we won’t stop fighting for the safety of our communities.”
Media outlets have claimed these types of devices have been used in several mass shootings and are “common in everyday street crime.”
According to an unnamed release by WKRN, “Tennessee has the 11th-highest rate of gun deaths and the 8th-highest rate of gun homicide in the U.S. Gun violence reportedly costs Tennessee $18.0 billion each year, of which $415.5 million is paid by taxpayers.”
But the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) has a different position on the legislation and its future ramifications.
According to their 2025 legislative review, they opposed SB1075 as “This bill was suddenly amended by the House Sponsor to completely change the effect of the legislation. It now seeks, among other things, to materially change the definition of a machinegun under state law. The problem that this creates is that machineguns already have very technical definitions under federal law and this amendment risks creating state law ambiguities that could give rise to different interpretations of state and federal law. Oppose this rushed proposed change in the law particularly since neither sponsor has a history establishing a clear or strong understanding of either the 2nd Amendment or the Supreme Court’s rulings relative to the Second Amendment.”
Overall, the TFA found “The Tennessee Legislature failed once again on the obligation to remove infringements of the rights protected by the Second Amendment’s ‘shall not be infringed’ mandate. Although the Republican majority has campaigned as being strong on Second Amendment issues (and some are) the leadership of the respective Republican caucuses proves once again that their political priorities lie other than in upholding the constitutions and protecting your rights from state and local infringements.”
The organization further calls out Republican leadership, specifically naming Sexton and Johnson, amongst others like Sens. Randy McNally, Todd Gardenhire, and Reps. Andrew Farmer and William Lamberth, as those “who do not truly embrace or support the constitutional protections of the rights within the scope of the Second Amendment or the Tennessee Constitution…[and] whose bills and votes demonstrate a clear abhorrence against your constitutionally protected rights.”
With Governor Lee’s signature, Tennessee becomes the 27th state to ban Glock switches, with Mississippi, Virginia, and Alabama all passing similar legislation over the past couple of years.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
