State SBR law

Are short-barreled rifles legal in Tennessee? (2026)

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Oct 28, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

Tennessee took short-barreled rifles and shotguns off its prohibited-weapons list on July 1, 2022. Since then we've found no state SBR offense in the prohibited-weapons part of the code. Federal rules still apply, and this page covers both. Confirm with an attorney if your situation is unusual.

Not legal advice. This page summarizes Tennessee statutes, session laws and federal guidance as of the date above. Local rules and your own circumstances can matter. Check with your dealer or a Tennessee attorney if you're unsure.

The short answer

No state SBR offense since July 1, 2022. 2022 Public Chapter 1038 deleted "A short-barrel rifle or shotgun" from T.C.A. 39-17-1302(a).
No state SBR penalty. Before 2022, the offense was a Class E felony unless the owner was in full NFA compliance.
No state registration tie for SBRs. 2025 Public Chapter 513 took the SBR reference out of the NFA exception, which now covers only machine guns.
Federal law still applies. See "Federal process in 2026" below.

The statute

T.C.A. 39-17-1302 is Tennessee's prohibited-weapons law. As of 2021, subsection (a) said "A person commits an offense who intentionally or knowingly possesses, manufactures, transports, repairs or sells" seven listed items, including:

"(3) A machine gun;
(4) A short-barrel rifle or shotgun;"

Public Chapter 1038 of 2022 (Senate Bill 2628, passed April 25, 2022) has one operative section:

"Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-1302, is amended by deleting subdivision (a)(4) in its entirety."

It took effect July 1, 2022. The rest of the list still covers explosives, delivery devices, machine guns, hoax devices, knuckles and "Any other implement for infliction of serious bodily injury or death that has no common lawful purpose."

How we verified this. We read 39-17-1301, 39-17-1302 and 39-17-1306 in the current Tennessee Code, the free public version LexisNexis publishes for the state, current through the 2026 Regular Session and the 2026 2nd Extraordinary Session. The current 39-17-1302(a) list is explosives, delivery devices, machine guns, hoax devices, knuckles and the catch-all, with no short-barrel rifle or shotgun. Its history runs through 2022 Pub. Ch. 1038, 2025 Pub. Ch. 513 and 2026 Pub. Ch. 892. We first traced the change through the state-released code text for Title 39 (release 76, May 2021) and the two public chapters from the Secretary of State, Pub. Ch. 1038 and Pub. Ch. 513.

How Tennessee defines an SBR

39-17-1301(14) still defines the term, even though the offense is gone:

"'Short barrel' means a barrel length of less than sixteen inches (16") for a rifle and eighteen inches (18") for a shotgun, or an overall firearm length of less than twenty-six inches (26")."

Those are the same lines federal law uses (26 U.S.C. 5845). Neither 2022 nor 2025 law changed this definition.

Penalty

None under Tennessee law that we found, since the SBR offense was repealed. Before July 1, 2022, 39-17-1302(f)(2) made an offense under (a)(2)-(4) a Class E felony. Pub. Ch. 513 later changed (f)(2) to cover only (a)(2), and moved machine guns to Class C.

Is legality tied to federal registration?

Not for SBRs anymore. Subsection (d) used to give an exception for anyone with an (a)(3) or (a)(4) weapon who "is in full compliance with the requirements of the National Firearms Act (26 U.S.C. §§ 5841-5862)." Section 5 of Pub. Ch. 513 deleted "or (a)(4)," effective July 1, 2025, so the exception now reaches only machine guns.

ATF's October 9, 2026 open letter says it stopped enforcing Form 1 and Form 4 approval and registration for SBRs, SBSs, suppressors and AOWs. Voluntary forms are still processed. Whether the Tennessee Attorney General has said anything about SBRs since October 9: Not yet verified. Because the state SBR offense is gone, the federal change doesn't run into a Tennessee registration clause for SBRs. Our Tennessee suppressor guide covers the 2017 repeal of the state silencer offense.

Hunting

SBR-specific hunting rules: Not yet verified. Per our suppressor guide, TWRA's legal-device table sets the firearms allowed by species and bans centerfire rifles and handguns from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. Wildlife management areas "may have additional restrictions on some legal hunting devices." TWRA permits suppressors for anyone legally able to own one under federal law.

Other laws that interact

Machine guns. Still a prohibited weapon under (a)(3). Pub. Ch. 513 made the offense a Class C felony and extended the definition to "any part, or combination of parts, designed and intended solely for use in converting a firearm into a machine gun." Full NFA compliance is still an exception under (d).
Courthouses. 39-17-1306 bans carrying any weapon prohibited by 39-17-1302(a) inside a building where judicial proceedings are in progress, and any firearm there regardless of purpose. It's a Class E felony.
Prohibited persons, minors and carry rules: Not yet verified here.

Braced pistols

The state statutes cited here don't mention pistol braces. For the federal side, see our pistol brace guide.

Federal process in 2026

The making and transfer tax on SBRs has been $0 since January 1, 2026.
ATF stopped Form 1 and Form 4 enforcement on October 9. Voluntary forms are still processed. See NFA wait times.
Dealers use a Form 4473 and NICS check. ATF won't enforce 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(4) "Until final rules are issued."
"For now," interstate transport still needs an approved Form 20 (18 U.S.C. 922(a)(4)).
A dealer can't sell where state law forbids it (18 U.S.C. 922(b)(2)).

ATF says there is no automatic grandfathering if enforcement resumes. Full detail is on our SBR rules 2026 page, and you can compare states with the state NFA checker.

Checked against the current Tennessee Code (through the 2026 2nd Extraordinary Session) on October 28, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Are short-barreled rifles legal in Tennessee?

We found no Tennessee SBR offense. Public Chapter 1038 of 2022 deleted short-barrel rifles and shotguns from the prohibited-weapons list in T.C.A. 39-17-1302(a), effective July 1, 2022. Federal rules still apply. Confirm with an attorney.

When did Tennessee legalize SBRs?

The repeal took effect July 1, 2022. Before then, possessing a short-barrel rifle or shotgun was a Class E felony unless the owner was in full compliance with the National Firearms Act.

Does Tennessee require NFA registration for an SBR?

Not under state law since the 2022 repeal. 2025 Public Chapter 513 also removed SBRs from the NFA-compliance exception in 39-17-1302(d), which now covers only machine guns.

How does Tennessee define a short barrel?

T.C.A. 39-17-1301(14) says a barrel under 16 inches for a rifle or 18 inches for a shotgun, or an overall length under 26 inches. The definition stayed in the code after the offense was repealed.

Do I need a Form 20 to take an SBR out of Tennessee?

According to ATF's fact sheet, "For now," transporting an SBR across state lines still requires an approved Form 20. State law at your destination also applies.

Are short-barreled rifles legal in Tennessee? (2026)

The short answer

The statute

How Tennessee defines an SBR

Penalty

Is legality tied to federal registration?

Hunting

Other laws that interact

Braced pistols

Federal process in 2026

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Keep exploring

Are short-barreled rifles legal in Tennessee? (2026)

The short answer

The statute

How Tennessee defines an SBR

Penalty

Is legality tied to federal registration?

Hunting

Other laws that interact

Braced pistols

Federal process in 2026

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Keep exploring

The Gun Release Report