Hollow Point Legal States 2026

What Are Hollow-Point Bullets?

The government and firearm communities have paid a significant amount of attention to hollow-point bullets during the past few years.

Hollow-point bullets are particularly dangerous when used on people. Because they are hollow on the inside, they can expand on impact. When they penetrate the human body, they will gradually compress, causing significantly more damage to the human body. Furthermore, because they get bigger, they will not penetrate any further than necessary. As a result, hollow-point bullets have a tremendous amount of stopping power, but they can also be incredibly deadly. There are a lot of agencies that do not believe civilians should be able to carry hollow-point bullets.

What Makes Hollow-Point Bullets Different From Regular Bullets?

Hollow-point bullets are very similar to regular bullets except for one major difference: a hollow-point bullet has a hollow cavity in the middle of it, thus the name. A regular bullet has a smooth, domed shape, which is not unlike a hollow point bullet, but a regular bullet is not hollow on the inside.

A hollow-point bullet also has a very small hole in the tip of the bullet, which allows it to expand on impact. Because regular bullets do not have a cavity in the middle of them, they do not expand when they enter the human body. Furthermore, a regular bullet may continue to pass through the human body, exiting on the other side. This does not happen with a hollow-point bullet.

Hollow Point Bullets Banned by the Geneva Convention

In 1899, the Hague Convention passed a law saying that bullets that can expand or flatten in the body are banned for international warfare. It has been a long time since 1899, and there are a lot of people who believe that because hollow point bullets do the same thing, they are banned under the Geneva Convention. In reality, that is not the case. There are some situations where hollow-point bullets can still be used in international warfare, but conventional warfare today uses much more advanced technological equipment, so more attention is paid to newer items, such as chemical weapons and nuclear weapons, instead of hollow-point bullets.

Are Hollow Point Bullets Legal in the United States?

Yes, hollow-point bullets are legal in the United States. A civilian can own hollow-point bullets in every state except New Jersey. In New Jersey, civilians can have hollow-point bullets, but they can only use them if they are defending their homes or hunting.

Hollow-point bullets are particularly helpful for self-defense because they have a significant amount of stopping power. If you are trying to stop someone from breaking into your home, hollow-point bullets can be helpful because they typically do more damage than regular bullets. They will not penetrate any further than they have to, but because they expand on impact, they are much more likely to stop someone right in their tracks if they try to kick down the door.