AMMO Act

The AMMO Act would substantially expand federal regulation around ammunition. It would require federal licenses for dealing in ammunition (adding ammunition to the activities allowed only for licensed dealers), broaden recordkeeping to include ammunition, extend straw-purchasing prohibitions to ammunition, and impose a new regime restricting bulk ammunition sales to non-licensees. It would also require a background check via the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) before transfers of ammunition by certain federal firearms licensees to unlicensed persons, including ID verification and a written certification. The bill creates new penalties for violations, requires signage at licensed premises, adds a public reporting requirement on bulk-ammunition violations, and includes funding authorization to upgrade the NICS system. The overall aim is to curb bulk purchases, improve tracking, and tighten controls on ammunition transactions, while preserving privacy protections around firearms registries. If enacted, the provisions could increase compliance costs for ammunition sellers, limit large private purchases, and change how ammo transfers—especially private or semi-private transactions—are conducted.