Texas-Book-Gun Law Armed And Educated - Flipbook - Page 82
A. How does the law define ammunition?
Under federal law, the term “ammunition” is defined under
18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(17)(A) and means “ammunition or cartridge
cases, primers, bullets, or propellant powder designed for use in
any firearm.” Thus, the federal definition of ammunition includes
the finished product and all of the components in making a round of
ammunition. However, the federal definition of ammunition does
not include:
1) any shotgun shot or pellet not designed for use as the single,
complete projectile load for one shotgun hull or casing; or
2) any unloaded, non-metallic shotgun hull or casing not having
a primer.
See 27 CFR § 478.11.
In other words, individual ammunition components are legally
defined as ammunition themselves, even if they are simply parts,
except that shotgun ammunition components, if not completely
assembled, are not ammunition.
Under Texas law, there is no statutory definition for mere
“ammunition.” Texas law only provides a definition for armorpiercing ammunition (which we will discuss later in this Chapter)
and a definition for the way firearms are discharged: a “projectile
[that is expelled] through a barrel by using the energy generated by
an explosion or burning substance.” Tex. Penal Code § 46.01(3).
Legal Definitions And Classifications Of Firearms: What Is Legal? | 71
