State and Federal Laws on Ammunition
Record-keeping Requirements
By: Evan Foley, Associate Analyst
February 15, 2023 | 2023-R-0033

Issue
Are there any state or federal laws requiring ammunition sellers to keep records of ammunition
sales?

Summary
Neither federal nor Connecticut state law require ammunition sellers to keep records ofammunition sales. We identified at least four jurisdictions (California, New Jersey, New York, andthe District of Columbia) that have ammunition purchase record-keeping requirements. Theserequirements generally (1) require sellers to maintain electronic databases on ammunition sales,(2) establish the specific information sellers must collect on each purchase, and (3) require sellers
to allow reasonable access to the records by law enforcement.
Relatedly, in September 2022, the International Standards Organization (ISO), an organization
responsible for setting rules in the financial services industry, created a new merchant categorycode for firearm and ammunition sellers. This code separately designates sales made at firearmand ammunition stores from those made at retail and sporting goods stores. Shortly after ISO’s
announcement, several major credit card companies, including Visa, Mastercard, and American
Express, announced plans to adopt the new merchant category code for cards they issue.

www.cga.ct.gov/olr
OLRequest@cga.ct.gov

Connecticut General Assembly
Office of Legislative Research
Stephanie A. D’Ambrose, Director(860) 240-8400
Room 5300
Legislative Office BuildingFederal Law
Federal law generally does not require ammunition sellers to maintain sales records. The Gun
Control Act of 1968 originally required ammunition sellers to maintain sales records for most typesof ammunition. However, the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act of 1986 amended the Gun Control
Act, eliminating ammunition-related record keeping provisions for most forms of ammunition.
Today, ammunition sellers are required to keep records of the name, age, and residence of allpurchasers of armor-piercing ammunition (18 U.S.C. §§ 922-923).

State & District of Columbia Law
California
California law requires ammunition sellers to record ammunition sales at the time of sale on aprescribed form distributed by the state Department of Justice (DOJ). Ammunition sellers mustrecord the following information:
1.

date of the sale or transfer;2.

brand, type, and amount of ammunition sold or transferred;3.

the purchaser’s or transferee’s full name, signature, residential address, telephone number,date of birth, and driver’s license (or other identification number) and the state in which it
was issued; and4.

name of the salesperson who processed the sale or transfer (Cal. Penal Code § 30352(a)).

Ammunition sellers must electronically submit the above information for all sales and transfers ofammunition ownership. The state DOJ retains this information in an Ammunition Purchase RecordsFile database and the information remains confidential. A purchaser’s or transferee’s information
may be used only for law enforcement, research, and statistical purposes (Cal. Penal Code §30352(b)).

District of Columbia
District of Columbia law requires ammunition sellers to maintain records of all transactions
involving the sale and transfer of ammunition. These records include the (1) brand and number ofrounds of each caliber or gauge; (2) name, address, and dealer’s license number (if any) of theperson or organization to whom ammunition is sold or transferred; (3) consideration for the saleand transfer; and (4) date and time of sale or transfer. If the purchaser or transferee is not alicensee, the seller must also record the registration certificate number of the firearm for which theammunition was sold or transferred.
2023-R-0033

February 15, 2023

Page 2 of 4

Furthermore, District of Columbia police officers may, on demand, access ammunition sellers’
records. Finally, all transfers must be made in person, and the purchaser is required to sign a
receipt which is maintained by the dealer for one year (D.C. Code Ann. §§ 7-2504.01 – 7-2504.08,7-2505.02).

New Jersey
New Jersey law provides that each ammunition seller must maintain a permanent ammunition
sales record for certain forms of ammunition. Ammunition sellers are not required to maintainrecords for the sale of shotgun or rifle ammunition, but they must record ammunition intended foruse in any other firearm, ammunition that is interchangeable between rifles and handguns, andhollow-nosed or dum-dum ammunition (N.J. Admin. Code § 13:54-3.14).
Sellers must keep handgun ammunition sales records in electronic form and record the (1)transaction date; (2) ammunition type, caliber, or gauge; (3) quantity sold; (4) purchaser’s nameand address, and (5) additional information the state police superintendent deems necessary. Like
the District of Columbia’s law, New Jersey requires handgun ammunition sales records to be madeavailable for inspection at all reasonable times by any law enforcement officer. Moreover,ammunition sellers must electronically report all handgun ammunition sales to the state police
superintendent (N.J. Stat. Ann. §§ 2C:58-2).
Sellers must also keep a permanent record of ammunition acquisitions and dispositions in boundform. These records must consist of invoices or other commercial records that show themanufacturer’s name; the ammunition type, caliber, or gauge; the quantity purchased ortransferred; each acquisition date; from whom the ammunition was received; and identification
used to establish the purchaser’s identity. Sellers must maintain in the records in chronologicalorder by acquisition date at their business location (N.J. Admin. Code § 13:54-3.14).

New York
New York law requires ammunition sellers to keep electronic records of every purchase or transfer
in a manner the state police superintendent approves. At the time of any ammunition sale ortransfer, the seller must collect and enter into their records the date, name, age, occupation, andresidence of any purchaser or transferee. Furthermore, the seller must also record the quantity ofammunition purchased, the ammunition caliber, and the manufacturer’s name and serial number(or other distinguishing number or identification mark if there is no serial number). Ammunition
sales records are to be maintained in a statewide database (N.Y. Penal Law § 400.03).

2023-R-0033

February 15, 2023

Page 3 of 4

The statewide ammunition record-keeping database was originally signed into law in 2013.
However, in 2015, governor Cuomo and the state senate reached an agreement to suspend thestatewide database from taking effect. Various news reports in 2021 indicated the database wasstill inactive, even after governor Cuomo left office. Subsequently, in 2022, governor Hochul signedlegislation to create a statewide ammunition database. The legislation went into effect in
September 2022 (N.Y. Senate Bill S.51001).

EF:co2023-R-0033

February 15, 2023

Page 4 of 4