Criminal Offenses - As introduced, adds to the criminal offense of aggravated assault, an assault that involves brandishing a deadly weapon; defines brandish to mean waving or exhibiting a weapon in a manner that would be found by a reasonable person to indicate a threat to use the weapon. - Amends TCA Title 39.

HB 2298 amends Tennessee's aggravated assault law to include "brandishing" a weapon as an aggravating factor. It defines "brandish" as waving or exhibiting a weapon in a threatening manner that a reasonable person would interpret as a threat to use it. This change affects how prosecutors charge aggravated assault cases involving weapons and sets a clear legal standard for what constitutes brandishing. The bill updates Tennessee Code Annotated Sections 39-13-102 and adds a definition to Section 39-11-106, effective July 1, 2026.