Limits on ammunition possession

[Mike.357]

Don't know if this is the right place so if not a mod can move it I guess.

Does anyone know, or know where to look for information concerning how many rounds of ammunition a person may legally keep in their residence?

What about cans of smokeless or black powder, primers etc..?

Is there limitations?

[DaveTN]

I have no idea, but I would guess that it depends on your local City or County code.

[Fallguy]

Might check the BATFE's website.

[Mike.357]

I am with Dave, I bet it is a local or county ordinance. If not local then state.

How many of us have 1000's of rounds? I bet there are people here with tens of thousands.

Gotta be a law somewhere.

[towerclimber37]

does there? really? I'm willing to bet that there isn't...and shouldn't be if there is!! and ummm...lets not give the batfu any ideas...

[Guest 270win]

I don't know of a federal or TN state law that would limit the amount of ammunition you have. TN weapons laws are not that long and do not note any limit on how much you can i have. I guess it all depends on how much money you can spend on toys and ammo.

[Guest ETS_Inc]

It's regulated by Fire Codes, not BATFE or TCA.

Oh, and I personally know people with 100,000+ rounds of ammo in their home at any given time. (And it's not all .22 lr, although, I'm sure there are a good 10,000 rounds of it on hand.) You wouldn't believe the amount of 5.56, 7.62x51, and 9mm he has.

[Fallguy]

I have no idea, but I would guess that it depends on your local City or County code.

In TN no counties or cities can pass local laws when it comes to firearms or ammuntion. T.C.A. 39-17-1314

[Fallguy]

Wonder what has become of this?

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3145

[DaveTN]

In TN no counties or cities can pass local laws when it comes to firearms or ammuntion. T.C.A. 39-17-1314

I saw that also. But the intent of that law appears to be to protect against the civil lawsuits against gun manufacturers, and to prevent city gun bans.

I doubt that law would trump a local fire code that says you can’t store 50,000 pounds of gun powder in a residence….. But I certainly could be wrong.

Also, I would guess that most laws on the storage of explosives and gun powder were in place prior to 1986; that law has no impact on them.

[DaveTN]

Wonder what has become of this?

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3145

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=3162

[Marswolf]

What about cans of smokeless or black powder, primers etc..?

Is there limitations?

As far as the Feds are concerned, you can buy up to 50 pounds of BP for "sporting, recreational, or cultural purposes in antique firearms or in antique devices." Be sure to keep an antique around.... If you sell the stuff, it has to be in an approved storage container.

Looks like how much you can have in your home is up to state and local authorities. In single family dwellings it's 5# in New York and 2# (without fire department permit) in Massachusetts.

As far as I know, Tennessee has no regulation. So I guess.........you can have up to 50 pounds. Please consult with your attorney for a more definitive answer.

[Mike.357]

I ain't particularly worried about it. My boss and I were talking and he has a buddy that has a class 3 permit and a couple or more automatic guns. I mentioned about the amount of ammo they could run through and he said something to the effect of this guy has a lot of rounds on hand.

It just made me wonder if there was a law about it. I have been looking but can't find anything.

[DWARREN123]

Depends on city, county, state and federal regs. The most restrictive apply.

[KahrMan]

i know a guy who shoots a lot of skeet and trap and reloads. He told me that a lot of insurance policys have limits on how much powder and primers you can keep in your house. If you have over x amount, then they would not cover damages if there was a fire. Never did any research to find out if this was true or not so take it for what its worth...

[Fallguy]

I saw that also. But the intent of that law appears to be to protect against the civil lawsuits against gun manufacturers, and to prevent city gun bans.

I doubt that law would trump a local fire code that says you can’t store 50,000 pounds of gun powder in a residence….. But I certainly could be wrong.

Also, I would guess that most laws on the storage of explosives and gun powder were in place prior to 1986; that law has no impact on them.

I guess you are probably right Dave. I was more just wanting to say a city can't have a law that says you can only have X amount of rounds of ammunition on hand. Of course there are other ways around it.

And thanks for the update on the other thing.

[Marswolf]

Depends on city, county, state and federal regs. The most restrictive apply.

In Tennessee, the state preempts cities and counties from making firearms rules more stringent than the state. So you only have to be concerned with the Feds and the State code.

[r1mattrr]

I never really thought of a limit on how much ammo you could have. Guess I should check.

[Guest TN.Frank]

I know BATFE has a limit on how much black powder you can stock before you need to buy a special safe to keep it in and special storage areas but as to ammo, don't know of any in Tennessee. Of course if Hillery gets into office you know they'll be all kinds of junk gun laws pushed thru "for the children",LOL.

[DWARREN123]

I also believe it has to do with how much money you have!

[Guest db99wj]

I also believe it has to do with how much money you have!

My limit on ammo has a direct correlation with that statement:rolleyes:

[Guest Liberty Seeker]

After having read a couple of articles about people being arrested for this, I started trying to check on the legal issues regarding this in TN. I can't find anything in the TN Code, so the only restriction I can find is the fire code. It says you can store no more than 10,000 centerfire primers in a residence, but doesn't clarify between loose primers or ammunition. Does anyone have any concrete information regarding the amount of ammunition that can be legally kept in a residence? I'm no where close to the 10,000 even if that is the limit, I just thought it might be a good thing to know if there is a limit.

[Guest nraforlife]

Heck guess I need to dig a hole in the backyard, seal my ammo up real good and bury it.

[Guest 2HOW]

I know of no limit on ammo or components.

[Fallguy]

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6217