For years, advocates for victims of domestic violence have been pushing for a relatively small change that would close a big loophole.

When a court orders an abuser to give up their guns, they can give it to a third party like a friend or a relative. But Tennessee’s form doesn’t have any space to identify who that third party is. That means the justice system can’t be sure who receives the firearm, whether they’re legally allowed to have it, or whether it actually gets to them at all.

This issue has been at the forefront for advocates since the deadly Waffle House shooting in 2018. The shooter traveled across state lines with a gun that he was ordered to give up, but the weapons were returned to him.

The Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council was created by statute to develop poli

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