Gov. Bill Lee held a public signing for the constitutional carry bill on Wednesday afternoon.
Right now, to get an open-carry gun carry permit in Tennessee, a person would need to take an 8-hour in-person course or an online 90-minute course. The new law will not require those classes starting next month.
The governor called Wednesday a day that signals a win for law-abiding Tennesseans.
The governor originally signed the legislation into law in April. The event at Beretta USA Tennessee Campus in Gallatin on Wednesday afternoon was ceremonial in nature.
The permit-less carry law has received mixed reviews. The group Moms Demand Action Tennessee spoke out against the bill. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police also said they opposed the bill.
They said it will make law enforcement harder since some local agencies may not have immediate access to offenders and won't be able to tell who is legally allowed to carry a gun.
The bill will go into effect on July 1. Several other states have similar laws in place.