This piece explores the ammunition and firearms laws that apply to the American territory of Guam. To do so, we start with the laws that regulate the possession and sale of ammunition in the small territory. Second, the piece discusses Guam’s gun laws in terms of both purchasing and carrying firearms. To wrap up the piece, we finish with some resources that you will find useful if you plan to buy and possess firearms legally in Guam.
We do not intend this piece as legal advice. Instead, we hope that you find the information here as a useful starting point for your own research so that you can make informed decisions.
Guam is a US territory: this means that the Constitution of the United States generally applies to Guam residents as well. But Guam does not vote in the US House, Senate, or Presidential elections. More relevant to firearms, there is a Guam legislature that also makes laws that can be more strict than those at the federal level.
Guam’s gun and ammo laws are extremely strict, and there are several additional barriers to even finding good information about the relevant laws. First, much of the island is made up of military-controlled facilities which have their own rules. Second, the remote nature of the island means that local government websites are often down for extended periods.
Ammo Laws/Buying Ammo in Guam
Guam is highly restrictive in terms of its ammo laws, and finding official Guam government sources is challenging. A company that specializes in moving people to Guam indicates that importing or shipping ammunition to the island is impossible, and people can expect to pay high import duties on any firearms that they bring with them, up to a maximum of four per adult.
In terms of outright bans, the ATF’s documentation on Guam laws specifies that the Guam Police prohibit bullets that they determine can penetrate body armor when fired out of certain firearms.
In addition to those requirements, ATF rules still apply in Guam. First, there is an age requirement. Buyers of long gun ammunition have to be at least eighteen, and those buying handgun ammo have to be at least twenty-one years old. Additionally, buyers cannot be prohibited persons, which the ATF defines as those who have been convicted of felonies or domestic violence, people who have been found mentally incompetent in a court, and folks who have been involuntarily committed to an inpatient mental health facility.
Shipping ammunition to Guam is nearly impossible for ordinary folks, so buying ammunition online and having it shipped there is out of the question. Instead, it is far easier for gun owners in Guam to simply buy their ammunition in person at a local FFL.
Guam’s ammo laws are highly strict in two regards. First, what bullets are, and are not, allowed is at the individual discretion of the local police rather than a matter of statutory laws. Secondly, the impossibility of shipping ammo to the island as someone without an FFL means that any average folks who wish to buy ammo in Guam are subject to whatever prices the few local gun stores choose to charge.
Guam might be the most difficult US state or territory in which to get ammo, whether it’s from the highly restrictive rules or lack of information. The information situation is likely better on the ground in the small territory, but by the time you’re there, anything not on the island will have to be shipped from the mainland, which is several thousand miles away.
Firearms Laws in Guam
Guam has some of the strictest firearms in any territory that is administered by the United States. Before making any firearms purchase, the buyer has to apply for and receive a Firearms Ownership ID, which can take up to a month to get.
On the bright side, this FOID card also allows its holders to openly carry the guns that are registered to them.
Guam does not have a ban on magazine capacity, nor does it have an assault weapons ban, either by naming specific firearms or through a list of banned features. However, Guam has banned most NFA items, including machine guns, suppressors, and rifles or shotguns with short barrels.
Buying a gun in Guam is an involved process. Buyers have to have the FOID first, and the application for that document can take up to a month to process. Then, the buyer has to bring their FOID, another form of ID with a Guam address, and payment to a local FFL. There, the FFL will have the buyer fill out Form 4473 to meet ATF requirements, as well as submit a local background check and, if the background checks are successful, register the firearm with the buyer.
After that, the buyer must wait an additional three days to pick up the firearm. In total, it can take well over a month to buy a gun for the first time in Guam. Since the FOID, background check, and three-day waiting period always apply, all private party transfers in Guam have to be facilitated by an FFL as well.
Openly carrying firearms in Guam is simple: the FOID also allows gun owners to carry the guns registered to them openly. In this very limited regard, Guam can be considered somewhat permissive since the same paperwork to purchase a firearm allows firearm owners to carry those guns in public legally.
Concealed carry in Guam is more difficult and requires a separate application. Concealed carry licenses are issued on a shall-issue basis and are not widely accepted in the US. Luckily, many US states allow for permitless carry, which is why many Guam residents can also carry firearms in several US states.
Guam‘s government publishes little information on the process to get a concealed carry permit. The Navy, on the other hand, has some resources for folks who are moving to Guam. The general takeaway is that if an American is moving to Guam for a military-related job, contacting folks at their unit in Guam for advice on the matter is likely the best way to get reliable information for complying with the gun laws in Guam.
While Guam does not publish a handy list of places where it is illegal to carry a firearm, it is always illegal to carry civilian weapons on military installations and in federal buildings. This means that concealed carry is off-limits in most of Guam.
Because Guam has a FOID system, mandatory registration, and several kinds of bans on firearms, it is a restrictive territory in terms of its ammunition laws. The lack of readily available information from official sources adds to the strictness, in that it makes it actively harder for people to do their research before moving to Guam. Local information is likely better, and, ideally, a local contact before moving there will be able to help with the more opaque parts of Guam’s ammunition and firearms laws.
Sales Tax on Guns/Ammo in Guam
Guam’s sales tax is 2% and the territory does not impose additional taxes on firearms bought there. But, the import tariffs on all goods brought into Guam will be applied to firearms that are brought in by people moving to the island, and will thus act as additional taxes.
More Resources:
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Wheretoshoot.org is a great tool for finding ranges that are convenient for you. Use the mileage, city, and zip code features to find a range that suits your needs.
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The ATF keeps a list of every FFL in the country down to the state level, which you can use to find gun stores. Gun stores are typically Type One or Two FFLS.
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Guam has very few gun stores: frankly, importing firearms from the mainland when moving, even with the tariffs, is likely the best way to get the guns you want into Guam.
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While there is a seldom-used Guam firearms Facebook group, the transient nature of military postings means that there is not much of a firearms community online for Guam. We suggest getting in contact with your military unit in Guam if you plan on moving there and taking firearms with you.