Smyrna is on the verge of loosening its long-standing ban on carrying firearms in municipal parks, with officials saying the town code has to catch up to recent court rulings and state-law changes. A public hearing is slated for Tuesday evening on an ordinance that would scrap the park-specific prohibition while keeping rules against reckless or unsafe gunfire. The measure would allow certain hunting-related discharges that are lawful under state law in parts of town, and it would leave in place a 500-foot buffer around schools where firing a weapon would still be off-limits.
As reported by WSMV, councilmembers recently added the ordinance to their agenda, with the hearing scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Tuesday. WSMV notes that Smyrna currently bars firearms in town parks and also bans discharging guns within town limits. Town officials told the station the new language is meant to bring the code in line with a court decision and with the latest round of state-level changes.
Court Ruling That Prompted The Change
Last August, a three-judge panel sitting in Gibson County Chancery Court tossed out the state statutes that had barred guns in many public parks and had criminalized carrying a weapon “with the intent to go armed.” In a detailed summary-judgment order, the panel said those laws could not survive constitutional scrutiny and spelled out its analysis at length. That order is now part of the appeals record, according to MTAS.
State Law Changes That Limit Local Rules
The Tennessee General Assembly also rewrote portions of state firearms law last year, clarifying that the state largely preempts local gun rules and narrowing when cities and towns can regulate discharges. The companion bills were enacted as Public Chapter 329 and took effect July 1, 2025, with lawmakers specifying that local regulation of discharges must be “expressly authorized by state law” in many situations. The Tennessee General Assembly provides the bill text and summary of those changes.
What Smyrna Would Change
The ordinance now in front of Smyrna’s council would strip out the ban on possessing firearms in town parks while leaving in place language that outlaws reckless firing. It would also open the door to discharging firearms for lawful hunting within town limits wherever state law already permits it, but it would keep gunfire off-limits within 500 feet of any school property. Smyrna officials told WSMV the goal is to sync the local code with what the courts and the legislature have already done.
Legal Questions Remain
The Gibson County ruling and Smyrna’s proposed rewrite both sit inside an active legal and political back-and-forth, with the state still able to challenge the panel’s conclusions. The state has 30 days to file an appeal, and for now the decision applies within the Gibson County district, although higher courts could broaden or narrow its reach. WBBJ and the underlying court documents spell out the current procedural posture.
For Smyrna residents, the next move is straightforward: show up to the council hearing. The town’s published agenda lists the ordinance as a second reading and pegs the meeting start time at 5 p.m. Those who want to speak can head to Town Hall on Tuesday, where the agenda packet lists the proposal under Title 20, Chapter 2 and Title 11, Chapter 6. The Boring Parts hosts the full agenda line items and meeting details.
