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Where to buy ammo online
Where to buy ammo online, What’s the best or cheapest place to buy ammo? Can anyone order ammunition over the internet? What about local laws? This beginner’s guide covers all of the basics — however, this changes from one country to another. So this guide is focuse on US buyers. Ammo for sale near me, how to buy ammo online, best place to buy Guns, Glock 23 Gen 3
More: Check out the beginner’s guide to guns if you’re totally new to firearms.
Basics:
- You can buy ammo online from us or from physical stores. Including your local gun store and big-box stores like Walmart and Cabelas.
- Although we are often asked “where’s the cheapest place to buy ammo?”, the market doesn’t really work that way — you just have to hunt around for whomever has a good deal on that day. There are price-comparison search engines to help.
- US federal law states that you have to be at least 18 to buy shotgun and rifle ammo, and at least 21 to buy pistol ammo.
- Ammo has an explosive inside (the gun powder), so when it’s shipped, it falls under special policies. Your box will likely have an ORM-D sticker on it, for example, and require an adult signature. Ammo for sale near me
- Those special shipping policies mean it can be a hassle to return online orders.
- There are special restrictions for people who live in California, Massachusetts, Washington DC, Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. Specifics below.
- If you live in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico and want to purchase ammunition online, you may need to use a freight forwarding service due to the logistics of shipping outside the Continental United States. Or find a local in-state shipper such as Alaska Ammo. how to buy ammo online
- Some locations require that online ammo is ship to a local trust intermediary, known as a FFL (basically any local gun store), who is licensed to check any of your needed paperwork. Just google “(your location) FFL” to find one.
- There generally aren’t limits on how much ammo you can buy. But there’s growing evidence that if you place large orders (eg. thousands of rounds at once), you’ll end up on some government’s radar. ammo for sale near me
Price-comparison tools and where to buy ammo online
If you live in a jurisdiction that allows for online orders and don’t mind waiting a few days for it to arrive, buying online is usually the best way to save money. Ammo prices are often different from one vendor to another, and current events can throw the demand-supply curve out of whack, creating weird shortages and spikes in prices. During COVID-19, for example, it was often very difficult to find common calibers in stock — and if you did, it was noticeably more expensive than just before the crisis start. best place to buy Guns, Glock 23 Gen 3
Thankfully, there are a few search engines built specifically to find where ammo is in stock and who has the best price per round:
Laws and bureaucracy
Every level of government or oversight that applies to where you live, even down to your HOA, might have restrictions that apply. If you live in a state/city know to be anti-2A, you may want to search for laws at lower levels than just the federal and state laws below. ammo for sale near me, how to buy ammo online
Let’s start at the US federal level, namely 18 U.S. Code Section 922.
Who can buy and be in possession of ammunition:
- Individuals over the age of 18 can buy rifle and shotgun ammunition. 18-year-olds cannot purchase handgun ammunition, but they can possess it.
- Individuals over the age of 21 can buy a handgun, rifle, or shotgun ammunition. best place to buy Guns
Who cannot buy or legally own ammunition:
- Anyone under the age of 21 cannot buy handgun ammunition.
- Fugitives from justice.
- People who are addicted to narcotics or controll substances. This includes medical and recreational marijuana.
- Military veterans who were dishonorably discharge.
- People who have been convicted of domestic violence.
- Persons illegally in the United States.
- People subject to restraining orders.
- Felons.
- Individuals who have renounced their United States citizenship.
Most US states mirror that federal law. Some states, namely those known to be anti-firearm, make things more complicated.
California has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Only licensed vendors can sell ammunition in CA and they must keep records of all transactions. Background checks are require on all ammunition purchases. Some online companies will ship to California, but they have to send the ammo to a licensed vendor who then acts as the trusted background checker. At present, there seems to be a legal tug of war between California and the Federal government regarding California’s background checks on ammunition purchases. If you live in California, it’s probably best to purchase locally until the courts figure things out.
Connecticut requires a driver’s license, passport, or government-issued I.D. along with one of the following: pistol permit, eligibility certificate for pistol, long gun eligibility certificate, or ammunition certification. You must be 21 to purchase ammunition. Ammunition purchase online can be send directly to your residence. best place to buy Guns, Glock 23 Gen 3
Illinois requires a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card. You must be 21 or older. To purchase ammunition online, you will need to supply the vendor with a government-issued I.D. and your Firearm Owner’s Identification card.
Where to buy ammo online
Massachusetts requires a firearms license. If you buy ammo online, it must go to a local dealer who will check your license before handing you the shipment. Those are called FFLs (Federal Firearms License), and any local gun store can act as an FFL for you. Once you’ve placed your online order, you’ll have to ask the local FFL to send their certificate to the online vendor, so the vendor knows they can legally ship the ammo to an “approved” recipient.
New Jersey is complicated. Ammo can be purchased online and shipped directly to your home. It’s easy if you’re buying one of these calibers: .223, 5.56, .308, 7.61×51, 7.62×39, .270, .243, 30-30, 30-06, 12 gauge, and 20 gauge. If you buy something else, you have to provide either your firearms purchase identification card, handgun permit, or permit to purchase a handgun before the vendor will ship. Same goes for in-person purchases, too.
New York allows you to buy ammo locally, but if you buy it online, you have to have it shipped to a local FFL. Some online vendors will not ship ammunition to New York. The FFL will record the transaction, and if you’re buying pistol ammo, check your pistol permit. Background checks to purchase ammunition are not (yet) require. ammo for sale near me
Washington DC limits ammo purchases to people who already own a firearm, which is register. You’re limit to buying ammo only for the firearms you have on file with the government. Ammunition can only be purchase in-person from a license dealer.
