If you’ve been wanting to tote a gun in the state of Tennessee, your options just got a little more…open.

On Thursday, Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill that’ll change things for firearm owners in The Volunteer State who’d like to keep their sidearms at their sides.

The law — which takes effect July 1st — will allow both concealed and open carry without a permit.

Such a thing — as you may know — is often called “constitutional carry.”

Via Twitter, the governor thanked the state legislature as well as the National Rifle Association:

“I signed constitutional carry today because it shouldn’t be hard for law-abiding Tennesseans to exercise their #2A rights. Thank you, members of the General Assembly and @NRA, for helping get this done.”

I signed constitutional carry today because it shouldn’t be hard for law-abiding Tennesseans to exercise their #2A rights. Thank you members of the General Assembly and @NRA for helping get this done. pic.twitter.com/xv2ZenOEZq

— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) April 8, 2021

As for details, Tennessee House Bill 786 — the Permitless Handgun Carry Bill — allows individuals 21 and older to carry handguns openly or in concealment without a carry license.

Military members aged 18-20 can do the same.

The legislation doesn’t cover long guns.

As you might imagine, not everyone in the legislature’s equally enthused.

The Tennesseean lays it out:

When the bill passed the House on March 29, Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, said it was “not the end of the journey” for expanding gun rights in Tennessee.

Democrats, however, were largely against the measure.

“It seems that more is never enough when it comes to gun laws in this state,” said Rep. Larry Miller, D-Memphis.

The bill also increases penalties for those who commit gun crimes.

The law boosts theft of a firearm from a misdemeanor to a felony and mandates six months of incarceration for the offense, up from the current 30-day sentence. It also bars felons convicted of possessing a firearm from early release.

Who won’t be benefitting from the new law? That would be convicted felons, those convicted of domestic violence or stalking, those committed by court to mental institutions, those with recent DUI convictions, and those who were otherwise already prohibited from obtaining a carry permit.

Gov. Bill’s administration estimates the law will cost Tennesseans up to $20 million per year.

That number’s derived from anticipated lost licensing revenue plus an increase in incarceration.

36,335 fewer annual permit applications and renewals are expected.

The law comes at an interesting time, when some say Nashville’s a hotbed for newly-arriving Democrats migrating from left-wing strongholds and bringing their politics along.

Tennessee is the 18th state to pass such a law.

Its predecessors:

• Vermont
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Wyoming
• Maine
• Kansas
• West Virginia
• Idaho
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• New Hampshire
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Kentucky
• Arkansas
• Iowa

Not likely to be #19: California.

Every year, new pistols are released that are legal in most states EXCEPT California. That's one reason we're SUING to stop this senseless gun ban but we need YOUR SUPPORT! If you're as fed up with these restrictions as we are, text "ROSTER" to 888-444-8774 to help us REPEAL it! pic.twitter.com/Zd4bkQdG9I

— 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝙿𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚢 𝙲𝚘𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 (@gunpolicy) November 12, 2020

The bill to remove THREE handguns from California's Roster when a new gun is added has passed the Senate's Appropriations Committee. It now heads to the Senate floor. Take action at https://t.co/KDtL7NT2k7 pic.twitter.com/iCLwN7qAiU

— 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝙿𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚢 𝙲𝚘𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 (@gunpolicy) August 21, 2020

Either way, there’s no doubt much, much more related to guns we’ll soon be seeing in the news.

WATCH: President Biden announces nomination of David Chipman, a prominent gun control advocate, to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; urges Congress to act on gun violence. pic.twitter.com/XY7jjfPVSn

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 8, 2021

President Biden: “For a fraction of the cost of gun violence, we can save lives, create safe and healthy communities, and build economies that work for all of us. And save billions of American dollars in the meantime.” pic.twitter.com/VcXmukafyF

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 8, 2021

-ALEX

See more pieces from me:

CNN Op-Ed: Fonts Can Be Racist

Just in Time for Godzilla: Giant Lizard Invades a 7-Eleven

Two Manhattan Doormen Who Did Nothing During an Elderly Woman’s Brutal Beating…Get Shown the Door

Find all my RedState work here.

Thank you for reading! Please sound off in the Comments section below.