TBI immediately retracts its policy to use DUI standards to deny firearms purchases

Earlier today the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation sent out an email to notify Federal Firearms Licenses in Tennessee that it was implementing a policy whereby it would deny those individuals who had 2 or more DUI’s in the last 10 years or 1 DUI in the last five years from being able to purchase any firearm in Tennessee.

Tennessee Firearms Association contacted the TBI to request clarification of this policy and the reasoning behind it in an Open Records Request. TFA also contacted the Department of Safety, the BATF and several state legislators on this same issue to see if any of them had been contacted or were in agreement with the TBI policy.

Almost immediately, the TBI sent out another email in which it asked federal firearms licensees to disregard its earlier email “as an error”.

From: Sandi Duncan
Subject: This morning’s Email
Date: July 1, 2021 at 1:58:13 PM CDT
To: [omitted FFL group list]
Reply-To: Sandi Duncan

This morning an email was sent from TBI regarding Public Chapter 108 and how its passage impacts purchase prohibitors specific to DUI’s. Upon further research and review, we ask that you disregard that email as an error. I greatly appreciate your feedback and bringing this to our attention. We apologize for any confusion this has caused and look forward to our continued partnership.
Director David Rausch

Sandi Duncan
CJIS Manager – TICS Unit
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
901 R.S. Gass Blvd.
Nashville, TN. 37216
Office hours Mon-Fri. 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Tennessee Firearms Association would like to thank those TFA members who reported this issue, the state legislators who immediately got involved to address it and other state and federal officials who responded to this “error”.