Current law requires a permit holder to leave the weapon locked in a car in the restaurant parking lot.

In addition, gun owners want to be allowed to leave their weapon locked in their car on school grounds as long as they are there for any "legitimate purpose."

"We have a large number of people who have been trained and certified and now, with a seven-year history of carrying in the state, we have a very low, if not nonexistent, incident rate," said John Harris of the Tennessee Firearms Association. "We need to take that into consideration and make reasonable rules on where they can and should be carrying. Permit-holders feel like the guns are safer to the general public, and to them in particular, if they are in the permit-holder's custody and control rather than left unattended in vehicles."

The proposal is being met with strong opposition from restaurant owners, educators, and organizations that support tighter gun-control measures.

"It says they can carry a firearm but they can't drink? How long do you think that will last?" said Ronnie Hart, a lobbyist for the Tennessee Restaurant Association. "It is prohibited right now to carry a firearm in a restaurant or bar. We are very much in favor of keeping that in place. Things happen so fast sometimes that you can't control them."

According to the state Safety Department, 99,130 Tennesseans have concealed-carry permits.

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