Most people think it’s a good idea to keep guns and ammunition out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is a point-of sale system for determining eligibility to purchase a firearm. Licensed gun dealers are required to use NICS to determine if a buyer can legally purchase a gun. Federal law prohibits convicted felons, the mentally ill and dangerous people from possessing both guns and ammunition. However, this law is not enforced for ammunition sales and ammo buyers do not need to pass background checks. Sellers of ammunition are unlicensed and are not required to keep sales records - as is required of gun dealers. Similarly, ammunition purchased online can be shipped directly to the purchaser.

Safety advocates say we need to screen ammunition purchases for the same reasons we do gun purchases. Gun advocates oppose any kind of background check that leads to a registration database which they claim could conceivably lead to gun confiscation.

Pending Legislation: H.R.584 - Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2023
Sponsor: Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ)
Status: House Judiciary Committee
Chair: Rep. Jim Jordan (OH)