This bill enacts the "Suicide Prevention Act of 2025," which requires, in an effort to prevent violence, including suicide, homicide, or mass shooting by persons with mental illness using firearms, the Tennessee bureau of investigation ("TBI") to establish a program for revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights so as to avoid purchase, possession, and transportation of firearms by and sale of firearms to (i) a person who is voluntarily admitted to a public or private hospital or treatment resource for diagnosis, observation, and treatment of a mental illness or serious emotional disturbance, who may submit the request form to a mental health counselor upon release from the hospital or treatment resource and then must submit the form to the circuit court clerk in the county where the hospital or treatment resource is located, or (ii) a person who is concerned about the person's mental health and desires to enroll in the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights program, who may submit the request form to the circuit court clerk in the county in which the person resides. REQUEST FORM This bill requires the TBI to create a request form for revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights. The form must include certain information described in this bill, including (i) a statement at the top that the form is to be submitted to the clerk of the circuit court of the county in which the enrollee resides, (ii) a space for the enrollee to designate up to two persons as guardian angels, if the enrollee wishes to do so, provide contact information for the guardian angels and have such persons sign indicating consent to be the enrollee's guardian angel, (iii) a declaration of any firearms that are in the ownership of the enrollee and the planned disposition of each firearm, and (iv) an acknowledgement by the enrollee that it is an offense for a person who is enrolled in the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights program to possess, purchase, or transport a firearm and that a violation is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a term of imprisonment not greater than 30 days, a fine not to exceed $50, or both. If the request form is submitted directly to the circuit court clerk, then this bill requires the circuit court clerk to require the person to present a valid photo identification to verify the person's identity prior to accepting the form. The clerk must also transmit the completed request form to the TBI within three business days for entry into the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights program and transmit a copy of the completed request form to the department of safety within three business days. Upon receipt of the form, the department of safety must revoke the person's handgun carry permit. This bill generally prohibits a request form used to enroll in or withdraw from the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights program from being considered by a court in a legal proceeding in which the person executing the form is a party. However, such form may be used in a criminal prosecution for a violation of perjury or the sale of dangerous weapons. This bill requires the TBI to maintain and update the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights request data to be used to advise a gun dealer if the TBI's records indicate a firearm buyer is prohibited from purchasing, possessing, or transporting a firearm. Revocation No sooner than 14 calendar days after filing a revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights request form, this bill authorizes an enrollee to file a revocation of the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights with the clerk of the circuit court of the county in which the enrollee resides. The circuit court clerk must require a valid photo identification to verify the person's identity prior to accepting the revocation form. The filing of a revocation form allows the person executing the form to purchase, possess, or transport a firearm after the TBI has completed processing the form unless the person is otherwise ineligible to purchase or possess a firearm under federal or state law. The circuit court clerk must transmit the completed revocation request form to the TBI within three business days and transmit a copy of the completed revocation request form to the department of safety within three business days. By the end of the 14th business day following the date on which the request for revocation was received, this bill requires the TBI to (i) notify the person that the person's name has been removed from the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights program, (ii) make reasonable efforts to inform the person's guardian angel of the revocation if the person has designated a guardian angel, (iii) destroy all records related to the person's enrollment in the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights program, and (iv) remove the person from the national instant criminal background check system and other federal or state computer-based systems used by law enforcement to identify prohibited purchasers of firearms in which the person's enrollment in the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights program was entered, unless the person is otherwise ineligible to purchase or possess a firearm under federal or state law. By the end of the 14th business day following the date on which the request for revocation was received, this bill requires the department of safety to (i) reinstate the person's handgun carry permit, unless the person is otherwise ineligible to obtain a permit under state or federal law, and (ii) destroy all records related to the person's enrollment in the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights program after reinstating the person's handgun carry permit. VIOLATIONS This bill provides that a person who knowingly makes a false statement regarding the person's identity on an enrollment or revocation form for the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights commits perjury. This bill also provides that it is an offense of a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a term of imprisonment not greater than 30 days, a fine not to exceed $50, or both, for a person who is enrolled in the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights program to purchase, possess, or transport a firearm. CONFIDENTILAITY PROTECTION This bill generally requires the TBI and the department of safety to withhold from public disclosure all information regarding a request to be enrolled into or removed from the revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights program and any other personal identifying information contained in or related to a revocable voluntary waiver of firearms rights. However, such information may be disclosed to a law enforcement officer acting in the performance of official duties, a gun dealer, the applicant with respect to the applicant's own information, or in the course of criminal prosecution for a violation of perjury. Records obtained and produced pursuant to this bill are confidential and are not an open record.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 39-17-1316(a)(1)(A), 39-17-1316