What's Up Sheepdogs? Ryan here with Tampa Carry.

Recently I received a question during one of my Tampa concealed carry courses: "Are we allowed to have hollow-point ammunition in Florida?" I always assume the person asking has recently moved from one of the anti-American states like New Jersey. I always reply, "Welcome to freedom; you’re safe here!”

Let's take a look at what Florida concealed carry laws have to say about ammunition.

What Ammunition Is Illegal in Florida?
The State of Florida does not regulate hollow-point ammunition, but that didn't stop them from outlawing other types of ammo. Here's what the law says. 

Florida Statutes 790.31 Armor-piercing or exploding ammunition or dragon's breath shotgun shells, bolo shells, or flechette shells prohibited.

(1) As used in this section, the term:
Armor-piercing bullet F.S. 790.31 (a) - means 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.

Exploding bullet F.S. 790.31 (b) - means 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. 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.

Dragon’s Breath F.S. 790.31 (d) - 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.

Bolo Shell F.S. 790.31 (e) - 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.

Flechette Shell F.S. 790.31 (f) - 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.
(2)(a) Any person who manufactures, sells, offers for sale, or delivers any armor-piercing bullet or exploding bullet, or dragon's breath shotgun shell, bolo shell, or flechette shell is guilty of a felony of the third degree…

(b) Any person who possesses an armor-piercing bullet or exploding bullet with knowledge of its armor-piercing or exploding capabilities loaded in a handgun, or who possesses a dragon's breath shotgun shell, bolo shell, or flechette shell with knowledge of its capabilities loaded in a firearm, is guilty of a felony of the third degree…

It Is ILLEGAL...

According to this statute, it is unlawful to manufacture, sell, offer for sale, or possess flechette shells, bolo shells, dragon’s breath, or exploding bullets. A little side note: I’ve never heard of an exploding bullet before. Now I desperately want one, but I am not willing to break the law.

Be Very Carful...

This statute also mentions armor-piercing ammunition in handguns. The most common type of armor-piercing ammunition is 5.56 LAP used in an AR-15 or steel-core 7.62x39 used in an AK-47. The problem is you can also purchase an AR-15 and an AK-47 as either a pistol or a rifle. So that means it would be legal to fire armor-piercing ammunition out of a rifle and a felony to shoot it out of a pistol. Be very careful with this one because it's easy to make a mistake while at the range that could land you in a lot of legal trouble. 

That's all I have for today. So until next time keep training and stay safe...Talk to you soon,

Ryan G. Thomas

P.S. You’re one step away from getting your Florida concealed carry permit….FAST & EASY…

And for a limited time you can watch the concealed carry course online for free... Click here to get started...