Congressman Robert Garcia and Senator Elizabeth Warren Reintroduce ‘AMMO Act’ to Prevent Bulk Sales of Ammunition During Gun Violence Awareness Month
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) reintroduced the “Ammunition Modernization and Monitoring Oversight (AMMO) Act.” The bill would restrict bulk sales of ammunition by requiring businesses to conduct background checks on buyers and would require businesses who sell ammunition to obtain the same federal license as gun dealers. Additionally, the bill would also apply the same prohibition on straw purchases for ammunition that currently exists for firearms, restricting individuals from purchasing ammunition to then sell illegally to others and requiring data sharing on ammunition sales. The bill is also co-led by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25). The full bill text can be found here.
"It makes absolutely no sense that anyone in this country can walk into a business and buy as much ammunition as they want, with no background check and no questions asked," said Congressman Robert Garcia. "We need to do everything in our power to prevent mass shootings and end our nation's gun violence epidemic. During Gun Violence Awareness Month, I'm proud to help lead a bill that closes this loophole with a commonsense fix that will save lives and protect our communities."
“Our government needs to step up and limit access to ammunition if we want to stop the gun violence epidemic in this country. I’m going to keep fighting to keep our communities safe from potential mass shooters,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren
“Far too many families endure the deep emotional and financial pain that comes with losing a loved one to gun violence. The costs are felt throughout entire communities,” said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “So, I'm proud to work with Congressman Robert Garcia to introduce comprehensive legislation that would close the gaping ammunition regulation loopholes in our gun safety laws. Our constituents want safer communities, and this bill will save lives.”
“Today, any individual can purchase unlimited rounds of ammunition in a single transaction with no questions asked, not even a background check to ensure they can legally possess firearms and ammunition. This enables people to rapidly amass tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition for trafficking and other nefarious purposes, jeopardizing public safety. By limiting ammunition transactions and requiring dealers to obtain licenses and complete background checks on ammunition sales, the AMMO Act will prevent the rapid stockpiling of ammunition and ammunition trafficking. Brady thanks Congressman Garcia for introducing this legislation to address the supply-side of gun violence.” – Mark Collins, Director of Federal Policy, Brady
“The fact that anyone can easily purchase countless rounds of ammunition without even a background check is a recipe for mass tragedy. We applaud Rep. Garcia for introducing life-saving legislation that would make ammo dealers abide by the same rules as gun dealers, which is the very definition of common sense.” -John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety
"NICJR is thrilled to support this important legislation." - David Muhammad, Executive Director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform
Currently, there is essentially no regulation governing the sales of ammunition. Businesses are not required to possess licenses in order to sell ammo and can sell to any buyer, in any quantity, without a background check, and with no recordkeeping or data sharing.
The bill prohibits bulk sales of ammunition based on the type of ammo. It specifically limits individuals to 100 rounds for .50 caliber ammo, the most deadly, potent military grade, and 1000 rounds for all other ammunition within a 5-day period.
The AMMO Act is endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety, Brady, Newtown Action Alliance, Orange Ribbons for Jaime, Community Justice Action Fund, National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, Voters of Tomorrow, and Sandy Hook Promise.
Congressman Garcia is a staunch believer in common sense gun violence prevention. He first introduced the AMMO Act alongside Senator Elizabeth Warren in the 118th Congress. Since coming to Congress, Congressman Garcia has cosponsored numerous pieces of legislation to help protect our communities from gun violence, such as the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025, the Bolstering Security Against Ghost Guns Act, and the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025. As former Mayor of Long Beach, he spent his time in office publicly supporting gun reform at the state and local level.
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