Are Hollow Points Legal in Florida? Should You Use Them? Let's Take a Look

Are Hollow Points Legal in Florida? Should You Use Them? Let's Take a Look

Gregg Kielma

Tactical K Training and Firearms

Carrying hollow points doesn’t make you “more likely” to face criminal charges. What gets you charged is why you used force, not what ammo was in the gun. Florida law is clear: hollow points are fully legal for self‑defense, and both civilians and police carry them because they stop a threat quickly and reduce the chance of a round passing through and hitting someone else. Florida statutes don’t classify hollow points as some special “malicious” round, and they’re treated the same as any other lawful defensive ammunition when a shooting is reviewed.

Kielma continues, "you can get charged for carrying hollow points?” hog wash, that’s gun‑counter mythology, pure nonsense. Prosecutors look at whether you were justified, in an imminent threat, reasonably in fear of your life, the reasonable person, and used a responsible, legal solution. Not whether your ammo expands on impact. Hollow points only become an issue if you were already doing something illegal, the same way any ammo would.

From my perspective, I carry hollow points because they’re the responsible choice. They stop the threat faster, they’re less likely to over‑penetrate, and they’re the standard for defensive carry. I’m not worried about a prosecutor trying to make them sound scary, because the law backs their use and the facts are on my side. The only thing that matters in a real incident is whether I acted lawfully. I train and I train my students to know the rules; I take that responsibility seriously.