If you are a Tennessee resident who has been the victim of domestic violence, or if you are someone who has been charged with a domestic violence crime, you should be aware of the law in Tennessee regarding domestic violence. As FindLaw explains, in Tennessee, the crime of physical domestic violence is called domestic assault.
Assault is the intentional or reckless injury of someone or putting that person in reasonable fear of bodily injury and/or unwanted offensive physical contact. Domestic assault is defined as an assault against one of the following people:
- Your current or former spouse
- Any of your relatives, whether by blood or by adoption
- Any of your relatives by marriage, whether current or former
- The person with whom you are currently cohabitating
- Any person you are currently dating or who is your sexual partner
- A child, whether minor or adult, of any of the above people
Possible additional charges
If you are charged with domestic assault, you also can be charged with any additional crime you allegedly committed against the same person at the same time. Such charges could include rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment and/or child abuse, endangerment or neglect.
Possible penalties
If you are convicted of domestic assault, or if someone obtains an order of protection against you, you could lose your Second Amendment right to own a firearm should you be found to have a gun after conviction or during the time the order of protection is in place. Each such violation is considered a Class A misdemeanor; you could likewise face a $200 fine for each violation. This information is provided for educational purposes and should not be interpreted as legal advice.