Florida law prohibits the possession of ammunition by the same persons who are directly prohibited by Florida law from possessing firearms, although the persons who are prevented from obtaining firearms through the background check process required by Florida law are not similarly prevented from obtaining ammunition.¹ The federal ammunition purchaser prohibitions also apply.

Florida prohibits the manufacture, sale or delivery of any armor-piercing bullet or exploding bullet, or “dragon’s breath” shotgun shell, bolo shell, or flechette shell.² The state also prohibits the possession of an armor-piercing bullet or exploding bullet with knowledge of its armor-piercing or exploding capabilities loaded in a handgun, and the possession of a dragon’s breath shotgun shell, bolo shell, or flechette shell with knowledge of its capabilities loaded in any firearm.³ Each of these terms is defined.⁴ The definition of “armor-piercing bullet” differs from the definition of “armor-piercing ammunition” in federal law, which also restricts the manufacture, sale, importation and delivery of such ammunition.

Florida law does not:

• Impose a minimum age for the purchase or possession of ammunition, although federal minimum age requirements apply;

• Require a license for the sale of ammunition;

• Require a license for the purchase or possession of ammunition;

• Require sellers of ammunition to maintain a record of the purchasers;

• Require the safe storage of ammunition; or

• Restrict the locations where ammunition may be carried.

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1. Fla. Stat. §§ 790.23-790.235.[↩]
2. Fla. Stat. § 790.31(2)(a).[↩]
3. Fla. Stat. § 790.31(2)(b).[↩]
4. “Armor-piercing bullet” is defined as any bullet which has a steel inner core or core of equivalent hardness and a truncated cone and which is designed for use in a handgun as an armor-piercing or metal-piercing bullet. Fla. Stat. § 790.31(1)(a). “Exploding bullet” is defined as any bullet that can be fired from any firearm, if such bullet is designed or altered so as to detonate or forcibly break up through the use of an explosive or deflagrant contained wholly or partially within or attached to such bullet. Fla. Stat. § 790.31(1)(b). The term does not include any bullet designed to expand or break up through the mechanical forces of impact alone or any signaling device or pest control device not designed to impact on any target. Id. “Dragon’s breath shotgun shell” means any shotgun shell that contains exothermic pyrophoric misch metal as the projectile and that is designed for the sole purpose of throwing or spewing a flame or fireball to simulate a flamethrower. Fla. Stat. § 790.31(1)(d). “Bolo shell” means any shell that can be fired in a firearm and that expels as projectiles two or more metal balls connected by solid metal wire. Fla. Stat. § 790.31(1)(e). “Flechette shell” means any shell that can be fired in a firearm and that expels two or more pieces of fin-stabilized solid metal wire or two or more solid dart-type projectiles. Fla. Stat. § 790.31(1)(f).[↩]