Title 18 › Part I— CRIMES › Chapter 40— IMPORTATION, MANUFACTURE, DISTRIBUTION AND STORAGE OF EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS › § 845
Exempts certain uses and moves of explosives from the chapter. It does not cover transportation safety rules handled by the Department of Transportation or Homeland Security; medicines made to official pharmacopeia standards; explosives sent to or bought by the United States or state governments; small arms ammunition and its parts; limited amounts of commercially made black powder (up to 50 pounds) and related items used only in antique firearms as legally defined; explosives made under military rules for U.S. services and their facilities; or display fireworks sent to federally recognized tribes. Allows someone barred under section 842(i) to ask the Attorney General to lift the ban. The Attorney General can grant permission if the person’s record and the situation show they are unlikely to be dangerous and it won’t harm the public interest. A licensed person may keep working under their license or permit while their request is being decided. As a defense in cases about certain plastic explosive crimes, a person can show the explosive was a small amount used only for lawful research, detection training, or forensic work, or that, within 3 years after the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, it was or will be part of a military device. "Military device" means items like shells, bombs, grenades, missiles, mines, rockets, shaped charges, perforators, and similar devices made for military or police use.
Full Legal Text
Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 845
Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60