A firearm bill of sale TN form is a written record of a gun sale in Tennessee. It names the seller and the buyer, describes the gun by make, model, caliber and serial number, and states the price and how it was paid. Signed copies show that ownership changed hands on a set date. Download the free PDF or build one online.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Tennessee law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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For other property, see our general bill of sale guide and all Tennessee bill of sale templates with more free downloads. Two examples are the Tennessee boat bill of sale and the Tennessee trailer bill of sale.
Buying or selling across the state line? See the Georgia firearm bill of sale and the Alabama firearm bill of sale.
Tennessee law lets a person licensed by the federal government stock and sell firearms to people who want them, but it prohibits sales to certain people.[2.1] Federal law also sets age limits for licensed sellers.[1.1] Read the state and federal laws below, and check who is on the other side of the deal before you sign anything.
Section 39-17-1316 of the Tenn. Code Ann. prohibits sales to a person who:
A licensed dealer, importer or manufacturer may not sell a firearm or ammunition to someone it knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is less than 18 years old. For firearms other than shotguns and rifles, the age is 21.[1.1]
Tennessee also bars some people from possessing a firearm at all: Section 39-17-1307(f)(1) makes it an offense to possess one while convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, while subject to a qualifying order of protection, or while prohibited from possessing a firearm under any other state or federal law, and subsections (b) and (c) cover felons. Section 39-17-1307(h)(1) separately lists who may not carry a firearm.[2.4]
| Situation | What the law says | Source |
| Sale to a person convicted of stalking, addicted to alcohol, or ineligible to receive firearms under federal law | Prohibited | Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-1316[2.1] |
| Licensed seller and a buyer under 18, or under 21 for firearms other than shotguns and rifles | Not allowed if the seller knows or has reasonable cause to believe it | 18 USC 922[1.1] |
| Licensed seller transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person | Seller contacts the national background check system before the transfer is complete | 18 U.S.C. § 922(t)(1)[1.2] |
| Identification required of the purchaser | Includes one current, valid ID with a photograph and the purchaser's date of birth | Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-1316(f)(1)[3] |
| Background check fee | The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation may charge a reasonable fee of up to $10 | Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-1316(e)(1)[2.2] |
| Voluntary check of a concealed carry permit or a stolen gun report | Open to a person selling or buying a firearm, not to a federal firearms licensee or dealer | Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-1316(l)(1)(B)[2.3] |
A licensed dealer is required by federal law to contact the National Instant Criminal Background Check System before transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person.[1.2] Tennessee adds its own rules on the purchaser's identification and on the cost of a background check.[3][2.2]
The identification required of the purchaser must include one piece of current, valid identification that shows:
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation may charge a reasonable fee, not to exceed $10, for conducting background checks.[2.2]
Tennessee also has a voluntary check. It lets a person who is selling or buying a gun find out whether the other person holds a valid concealed carry permit or whether the gun is reported stolen. The check does not apply to a federal firearms licensee or dealer.[2.3] The statute words one exception this way:
Transactions or transfers between a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer and a bona fide law enforcement agency or the agency's personnel
Before a Tennessee gun dealer delivers a firearm, the dealer completes the federal firearms transaction record (ATF Form 4473) and gets the purchaser's signature on it, asks the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, by the means the bureau designates, to run a criminal history record check on the purchaser, and must receive a unique approval number for the transfer (Section 39-17-1316(c)). The TBI runs this check through the Tennessee Instant Check System (TICS).[2.5]
Tennessee requires no firearm registration and forbids one. Section 39-17-1305(b) makes it a Class E felony for a state or local government entity, official, employee or agent to knowingly create or maintain a firearm registry recording private possession or ownership, and Section 39-17-1314(a) preempts local regulation of firearms, including registration.[2.6]
A firearm bill of sale TN form records who sold which firearm to whom, when, and for how much. Our firearm bill of sale form covers the seller, the buyer, the firearm, the price and how it is paid. It also has the statements both sides read and the signature and acknowledgment pages.
The form has these parts:
Each party should keep a signed copy of the finished form somewhere safe and private. If you prefer to type, open the downloaded PDF in our online PDF editor and fill it in on screen.
You can download the Tennessee firearm bill of sale as a free PDF, or build it online and print it. The form has spaces for the seller, the buyer, the firearm, the price and the signatures, and it takes a few minutes to fill in. Download the Adobe PDF, then print it or fill it in on screen with any PDF reader.
These steps follow the content of the FormsPal firearm bill of sale form part by part, using the form's own headings. You can fill it in with our online builder or on a printed copy. The steps describe the form itself, not Tennessee law.
These answers repeat the Tennessee and federal laws on gun sales from the sections above. Each one cites a source listed at the bottom of the page, so you can check the wording yourself.
A person licensed by the federal government may stock and sell firearms to people who want them. Sales are prohibited to a person who:[2.1]
Yes, Tennessee has a voluntary check for this. A person who is selling or buying a firearm can find out whether the other person holds a valid concealed carry permit, or whether the firearm is reported stolen. It does not apply to a federal firearms licensee or dealer.[2.3]
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation may charge a reasonable fee for conducting background checks. The fee may not exceed $10.[2.2]
General information, not legal or tax advice.
