How buying a gun in Melbourne works
Pick an FFL dealer near you that accepts shipped transfers and name it at checkout. We confirm their license and ship the firearm to them. Ammunition, optics and parts ship straight to your door where Florida law allows.
Florida requires a buyer to be 21 or older to buy any firearm from a dealer, handgun or long gun. A handgun bought from a Florida dealer must go to a Florida resident under federal law. The dealer submits your details to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which runs the state and federal check. State law sets a waiting period of three business days, or until the check clears if that is later, on every firearm sold by a dealer. Concealed Weapon License holders, trade-ins and long-gun buyers with a hunter safety card are exempt from the wait, and a few counties such as Miami-Dade set up to five days.
Dealers in these communities all work for Melbourne-area buyers:
- Palm Bay
- West Melbourne
- Satellite Beach
- Indialantic
- Viera
- Rockledge
- Cocoa
- Sebastian
Carrying a gun in Brevard County
Since July 2023 anyone who meets the eligibility rules for a Concealed Weapon License may carry a concealed handgun without one, carrying valid ID. Courthouses, schools, polling places and the other places listed in section 790.06 stay off limits. The First District Court of Appeal struck down Florida's open carry ban in September 2025 and the state did not appeal, so open carry is now lawful. In June 2026 an appeals court opened the Concealed Weapon License to adults aged 18 to 20. The licence is still issued by the FDACS Division of Licensing, and many Brevard County Tax Collector offices take applications; it adds reciprocity and skips the three-day wait.
Hunting near Melbourne
Florida splits deer hunting into Zones A, B, C and D with very different calendars; Zone A in the south opens general gun season in September while Zone B waits until December. Antler rules follow the deer management unit around Brevard County. Wild hogs on private land can be taken year-round with landowner permission and no licence; check the FWC season pages for the current zone dates. Centerfire rifles, shotguns, handguns and muzzleloaders are all used for deer, and rimfire cartridges are not legal for deer.
Brevard County is the Space Coast, with the St. Johns marshes and the Indian River lagoon drawing duck hunters and Zone C deer on the ranch land west of I-95.
The Indian River County range is thirty minutes south and has family-friendly pistol and rifle lines; the St. Johns marsh is the local duck ground.
Public shooting ranges near Melbourne
These ranges are run by or officially listed by a state wildlife agency, a state forest or a national forest, and several run hunter-education and youth programmes. Most ask for a hunting licence, a range permit or a small day fee, and hours change with the season, so check the agency page before you go.
Source: State wildlife agency, state forest and U.S. Forest Service public range listings, September 2026. Distances are approximate; call or check the agency site before you drive out.