Firearms Merchant Account
Card processing for federally licensed firearms dealers and ammunition retailers — placed with acquirers that board the category deliberately, rather than aggregators that prohibit it and close accounts on discovery.
No application fee. Applying does not affect your personal credit.
What you need to get approved
Have these ready and most complete applications clear underwriting the same day.
- A current Federal Firearms License in the operating entity’s name, where your activity requires one
- A registered business and matching bank account in the same legal name
- A checkout that enforces FFL transfer for serialised items rather than shipping them direct to a consumer
- Shipping controls that reflect state and local restrictions on ammunition, magazines, and specific models
- Age verification at purchase, with a published returns and compliance policy
- Three months of processing statements if you have processed before — not required if you are new
Everything you need to keep processing.
- 90%+ approval — Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay & Google Pay
- Checkout that feels like Stripe — no redirects, no pop-ups
- Same-day integration · no contract · one flat rate
- USD payouts to your U.S. bank
Based outside the United States? Canadian and international merchants settle in their own banking system and currency — everything else above is the same.
Selling firearms legally is not the problem. Finding a bank that will say so in writing is.
Why firearms retailers lose accounts
- Selling firearms is lawful, but no bank is obliged to process for you. Most aggregators prohibit the category outright in their acceptable-use policies, so the account works until an automated review notices what you sell.
- Firearms and ammunition have their own MCC (5941 for sporting goods and gun shops), and the acquirer assigns it. A dealer coded as generic retail is miscoded, and the correction is usually a closure rather than a re-code.
- Interstate transfers of firearms must go through an FFL, so a storefront that reads like direct-to-consumer shipping fails compliance review even when the fulfilment process is entirely correct.
- Ammunition and magazine restrictions vary by state and sometimes by city, so a national checkout with no shipping controls is non-compliant in a subset of the places it ships to.
- Accessory sellers get caught in the same net: optics, holsters, and parts retailers are frequently classified with firearms even when no serialised item is ever sold.
What your account includes
Underwriting that already knows the vertical
Your application is prepared and presented by people who place ffl holders and ammunition retailers accounts regularly, so the file is framed correctly the first time instead of triggering an avoidable decline.
Multi-bank redundancy
Where volume supports it, your business is set up with more than one acquiring relationship. If one account is paused, you keep accepting payments rather than going dark — the single biggest difference between surviving a disruption and losing a month of revenue.
Compliance guidance before you apply
A review of your storefront, disclaimers, and checkout against what underwriters actually look for, so avoidable issues are corrected up front rather than surfacing as a decline.
Chargeback tooling from day one
Dispute alerts and prevention workflows are configured at boarding, because staying under network dispute thresholds is what keeps a high-risk account open long-term.
From application to first transaction
Apply
A short application with your entity details, expected monthly volume, and average ticket. It takes about ten minutes.
Pre-submission review
We check your storefront and paperwork against underwriting expectations and tell you exactly what to fix before anything is submitted.
Underwriting decision
Most complete applications receive a same-day decision. Complex or higher-volume files can take a little longer.
Integrate and go live
Gateway credentials, checkout integration, and chargeback tooling are configured so you can start accepting cards.
Firearms Merchant Account questions
Do I need an FFL to get a firearms merchant account?+
If your activity requires one federally, yes — and it must be current and in the same legal name as the business applying. Retailers selling only accessories, apparel, or non-serialised parts do not need an FFL, but they should expect to be underwritten as firearms-adjacent anyway, because acquirers classify on what the storefront appears to sell.
Why did Stripe, PayPal, or Square close my gun shop account?+
Because their acceptable-use policies exclude firearms and ammunition. Those platforms board merchants first and review later, so a firearms account often processes normally for weeks before an automated review flags it. The closure is a policy outcome, not a judgement about your business, and it is why the category needs an acquirer that boards it knowingly.
Can I sell ammunition online and still get approved?+
Yes, provided your checkout enforces the restrictions that apply. Ammunition rules differ by state and in some cases by city, so approval depends on demonstrating that your shipping logic blocks what it needs to. An unrestricted national checkout is the most common reason an otherwise clean ammunition file is declined.
Does selling accessories rather than firearms make approval easier?+
Somewhat, but do not assume you will be treated as ordinary retail. Optics, holsters, magazines, and parts retailers are routinely underwritten alongside firearms, because classification follows what the storefront presents. It is better to apply as what you are than to be re-classified after boarding.
What does a high-risk merchant account cost?+
High-risk pricing is quoted per business rather than from a rate card, because it depends on your monthly volume, average ticket, chargeback history, and product mix. Expect rates above standard retail processing, since the acquiring bank is pricing genuine risk. You should always receive the full fee schedule in writing before you sign anything.
Will I need a rolling reserve?+
Sometimes. A reserve is a percentage of volume the bank holds temporarily against future disputes, and it is common for newer high-risk accounts or those without processing history. A rolling reserve reaches a steady state rather than growing forever: once the holding window is full, money is released at roughly the same rate it is withheld. Reserves are frequently reduced or released after a clean chargeback record, and the terms should be disclosed up front.
Can I keep my current processor and add a second account?+
Yes, and it is often the smartest structure. Running more than one acquiring relationship means a pause on one account does not stop revenue on the other. Redundancy is the difference between an inconvenience and a shutdown.
What if I have already been terminated or placed on MATCH?+
It is still worth applying. A prior termination or a MATCH listing narrows the options and affects pricing, but it is not automatically disqualifying — the reason code and how you have operated since matter a great deal. Be upfront about it, because underwriting will find it and undisclosed history is far more damaging than the history itself.
Secure, compliant, reliable —let's get you paid.
Tell us about your business and a specialist will reach out with the payment solutions that fit — cards, ACH, eCheck, crypto, and offshore.
- No cost and no credit pull to pre-qualify.
- Your information is never shared with third parties.
- A specialist reviews every application personally.
Have your documents ready? Submit the full merchant application to go straight to underwriting.