TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — More than two years after Florida State University moved to ban concealed weapon permit holders from keeping ammunition in their cars while parked on campus property, an appeals court heard arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit alleging administrators violated state law.

The suit was filed by Florida Carry, a gun rights group, shortly after Tallahassee's First District Court of Appeal struck down a 2018 FSU policy that barred guns from being stored in parked cars. In the wake of the ruling, the university released a proposed student code of conduct that included a moratorium on ammunition.

"They just can't help themselves," Florida Carry attorney Eric Friday told a three judge panel of the First DCA Tuesday afternoon.

"The legislature has specifically excluded destructive devices — or ammunition, the definition of destructive devices — and nothing in (Florida Statutes) 791.5 prohibits ammunition on a campus, period. That's the black letter law," Friday said.

But Barry Richard, an attorney representing FSU, questioned the legitimacy of Florida Carry's lawsuit, noting the ammunition ban never formally took effect.

"It appears to have slipped in because somebody thought it was a good idea," he said. "Shortly after it was filed and general counsel became aware of this, it was removed and it was moot by the time it reached the court."

The outcome of the suit could have wide-ranging implications, however. Newly-filed Republican legislation would legalize "campus carry," enabling concealed weapon permit holders to carry guns on state university campuses. If few restrictions are put on administrators' ability to regulate ammunition, the practical impact of campus carry — if passed — could be muted.