Snapshot: The Online Firearms Retail Industry

Legal online sales of firearms, ammunition, and firearms accessories continues to grow at an incredible pace. As the world of commerce continues to move digital, so too has the firearms industry.

The US market for online gun and ammunition sales is roughly $1.9 Billion, with annual growth of 6.8% expected in the next few years. In fact, over the last 5 years, online firearms and ammunition sales have seen annualized market size growth of 9.2% (source: IBISWorld). Convenient platforms such as GunBroker and Armslist have helped this industry acceleration to occur by making online sales possible even for small gun retailers.

While this level of sustained growth is exciting, selling firearms online can present unique challenges for firearms and ammunition dealers, particularly when it comes to accepting payments.

Get Approved For An Online Firearms Merchant Account

If you own or operate an Internet-based gun shop, you may have been previously turned down for a merchant account from a mainstream bank or merchant services company.

Or worse, your online firearms business may have had its merchant account terminated with little or no previous notice.

Many banks and merchant services providers will not accept your business for three primary reasons:

1. Firearm sales are regulated by the federal government, and therefore, additional underwriting is required by the credit card processor.
2. Due to the nature of online shopping, selling firearms via a website presents banks and processors with additional challenges in underwriting.
3. Because firearms and the 2nd Amendment are a “hot button” political issue, many banks and merchant services companies have taken an “anti” 2nd Amendment stance, and refuse to work with ecommerce-based gun shops, even if they are otherwise highly desirable clients.

Tactical Payments, by contrast, was founded with the exact mission to serve firearms industry businesses, even those operating online. We will offer you competitive pricing, easy integration, and friendly, USA-based customer support.

Ecommerce Gun Retailer Merchant Account FAQs

The following are the most frequently asked questions we get from businesses interesting in being approved for an online firearms merchant account from Tactical Payments.

What kinds of online firearms dealers do you accept as merchants?

Tactical Payments accepts a wide variety of online FFLs as merchants, including merchants who sell via GunBroker, or who sell firearms via their own independent website. Our merchant accounts can be seamlessly integrated with a GunBroker.com seller account, as well as with other ecommerce software platforms. Note: all merchants must have a valid FFL and must abide by all applicable Federal, State, and Local laws and regulations.

What criteria does my online firearms business need to meet, to approved for a merchant account by Tactical Payments?

To be approved for a merchant account by Tactical Payments, your retail firearms business must meet the following criteria: (a) your business must be located, and operate, solely within the United States of America (and the business owner must be a US citizen with a SSN); (b) you must be willing to provide the following documentation: (1) a voided business check or verified bank letter, (2) a valid government ID such as a driver’s license, (3) 3 months’ previous business bank statements, or personal bank statements if the business is a startup, and (4) 3 months’ previous credit card processing statements, if applicable.

ADDITIONALLY, for firearms dealers: Must have an FFL if selling, manufacturing, or importing firearms or destructive devices; must not sell all accessories needed to assemble a gun if the business does not have an FFL.

​Is Tactical Payments compatible with my existing firearms inventory or Point Of Sale (POS) software?

FFLs and firearms businesses typically have a preferred inventory or POS (Point Of Sale) software system they use. Because Tactical Payments works with most major payment gateways (including Authorize.net, USAePay and NMI), our merchant accounts integrate with most firearms inventory and Point Of Sale systems. Tactical Payments is compatible with Stratus Retail POS, Windward Software, Elliott Firearms Software, Gun StoreMaster, Rapid Gun Systems, AIMsi, Epicor FFL Compliance Manager, and Firearms Management Systems, as well as Gun Broker. (Many FFLs sell on GunBroker.com, and accept credit and debit card payments from buyers via an integrated merchant account & payment gateway.)