The Tennessee Senate approved a bill Tuesday that would let gun owners carry their weapons openly without a permit.
Lawmakers voted 25-2 to pass a measure filed by state Sen. Mae Beavers that would do away with the requirement that gun owners go through a background check, receive training and obtain a permit before carrying a handgun in public. Gun owners would have to get a permit only if they plan to conceal their weapons.
State Sens. Charlotte Burks, D-Monterrey, and Thelma Harper, D-Nashville, cast the only votes against the bill, though six senators abstained.
