Hollow point bullets are legal in Georgia. You can buy them, own them, carry them, and use them for self-defense or hunting, with no state license or special permit required for the ammunition itself. The only people who can’t legally possess hollow points in Georgia are the same people who can’t legally possess any firearm or ammunition.
Georgia Does Not Regulate Ammunition Type
No Georgia statute restricts hollow point ammunition. The state’s firearms laws focus on who may possess weapons and where weapons may be carried, not on what kind of projectile is loaded. Hollow points do not appear in the statutory definition of “dangerous weapon” or on the list of prohibited weapons, which covers items like sawed-off shotguns, machine guns, and silencers.1Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-121 – Definitions2Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-123 – Unlawful Possession of Firearms or Weapons
Cities and counties can’t fill that gap with their own rules. Georgia’s preemption statute bars local governments from regulating the possession, sale, purchase, or transport of firearms and ammunition components.3eLaws. Georgia Code 16-11-173 – Legislative Findings; Preemption of Local Regulation and Lawsuits; Exceptions You won’t run into a city ordinance banning hollow points anywhere in the state.
Federal Law Doesn’t Ban Them Either
Federal law restricts armor-piercing handgun ammunition, which is defined as a projectile made entirely of hard metals like tungsten, steel, or bronze, or a full-jacketed projectile over .22 caliber where the jacket makes up more than 25 percent of the weight.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 921 – Definitions Manufacturers and importers can’t sell armor-piercing rounds to civilians.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Hollow points are designed to do the opposite of piercing armor. They expand on impact rather than penetrate hard surfaces, which puts them outside the federal definition entirely. There is no federal prohibition on civilians buying, owning, or carrying hollow point ammunition.
Using Hollow Points in Self-Defense
Georgia’s self-defense statutes look at whether the force used was justified, not at what was loaded in the gun. You may use deadly force when you reasonably believe it’s necessary to prevent death, serious bodily injury, or a forcible felony.6Justia. Georgia Code 16-3-21 – Use of Force in Defense of Self or Others; Evidence of Belief That Force Was Necessary in Murder or Manslaughter Prosecution Georgia also imposes no duty to retreat before using force you’re otherwise entitled to use.7Justia. Georgia Code 16-3-23.1 – No Duty to Retreat Prior to Use of Force in Self-Defense Ammunition type is not part of either analysis.
A common worry is civil liability. If a shooting is justified under Georgia’s criminal self-defense statutes, the person who used the force is immune from a civil suit brought by the aggressor or the aggressor’s accomplices.8Justia. Georgia Code 51-11-9 – No Duty to Retreat and Immunity in Certain Instances of Threat or Use of Force The ammunition in the firearm has no bearing on whether that immunity applies.
Hollow Points for Hunting
Hollow points aren’t just permitted for hunting certain game in Georgia, they’re the kind of ammunition the law requires. Centerfire rifles and handguns used to hunt deer and bear must be loaded with expanding bullets of .22 caliber or larger.9Justia. Georgia Code 27-3-4 – Legal Weapons for Hunting Wildlife Generally; Use of Silencers and Suppressors Prohibited; Penalty for Violations Hollow points satisfy that requirement by design. Full metal jacket rounds, which don’t expand, would violate it.
Caliber, weapon, and season rules vary by species, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources updates its hunting regulations each year. Check the current regulations before any hunt.
Who Can’t Possess Hollow Points
Anyone legally barred from possessing a firearm in Georgia is also barred from possessing ammunition of any kind, hollow points included. Convicted felons and felony first-offender probationers commit a new felony by receiving, possessing, or transporting a firearm.10Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-131 – Possession of Firearms by Convicted Felons and First Offender Probationers
Georgia’s 2022 Constitutional Carry law lets most adults carry openly or concealed without a license, but only if they’re legally eligible to own a firearm in the first place. People under 21, those with pending felony charges, fugitives, and anyone prohibited under federal law remain ineligible.11Justia. Georgia Code 16-11-129 – Weapons Carry License; Gun Safety Information; Temporary Renewal Permit; Mandamus; Verification of License If you can’t lawfully carry the gun, you can’t lawfully carry the rounds that go in it.
Crossing State Lines and Flying
Hollow points are legal everywhere in Georgia, but that stops at the state line. New Jersey is the one every Georgia gun owner should know about: it generally prohibits possession of hollow point ammunition outside the home except when traveling directly to or from a range or hunting with a valid license. Carrying hollow points through New Jersey in other circumstances is a criminal offense. A few other states have their own ammunition restrictions that Georgia does not.
If you’re flying from a Georgia airport with ammunition, the TSA requires you to declare it at the ticket counter and pack it in checked baggage only. Rounds must be stored in a container designed for ammunition, such as the original retail box; loose rounds in a bag will not pass. The TSA treats a firearm as loaded whenever both the gun and the ammunition are accessible to the passenger, so keep them separated or properly encased.12Transportation Security Administration. Transporting Firearms and Ammunition These rules apply to hollow points the same way they apply to any other ammunition.