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Find Payment Providers for Your Firearms Business

Licensed firearms and ammunition retailers can take card payments when they are matched with a provider whose policy covers the category. PayPal prohibits firearms and Stripe accepts them only on a limited basis, but specialist acquirers board compliant dealers. What decides the outcome is your licences, a checkout that follows federal and state rules and a clear answer on how your sales are coded.

Why firearms payments need a specialist

  • Mainstream processors limit the category. PayPal prohibits ammunition, firearms and certain parts and accessories, and Stripe lists firearms and regulated parts as restricted and available only on a limited basis.
  • The merchant category code is a political question. MCC 5723 for firearms retailers was approved in 2022, some states now require it and others ban its use, so your acquirer has to code you correctly for each state you operate in.
  • Online sales carry legal obligations at every step: who can buy, where the item can be shipped and which checks must happen before delivery.
  • Rules differ sharply between states and countries and keep changing through new laws and court cases.

What to consider when choosing a PSP or acquirer

Understand the MCC 5723 situation

The International Organization for Standardization approved MCC 5723 for firearms and ammunition retailers in September 2022. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover paused their rollout on 9 March 2023, citing legal uncertainty. California's AB 1587 now requires the code to be assigned, with acquirers given until 1 May 2025, and New York and Colorado passed similar laws. On the other side, many states have banned its use, 16 by October 2024. Ask your acquirer how it codes merchants in each of your states.

Ship firearms through licensed dealers

Under federal rules, a buyer who is not licensed and lives in another state must have a firearm shipped to a federal firearms licensee (FFL) in their home state, who completes the transfer. Acquirers expect your checkout to collect the receiving FFL and to make clear that the purchase completes only through that dealer.

Follow ammunition background check rules

Some states check ammunition buyers too. New York's ammunition background checks took effect on 13 September 2023 through the state police. In California, a court panel struck down the ammunition check law in July 2025, but the full Ninth Circuit agreed on 1 December 2025 to rehear the case, which put the law back in force while the case continues. Check the current status before you sell into California.

Show your licences up front

Expect to provide your federal firearms licence and any state licences, and in the UK, evidence of registration as a firearms dealer with the police under section 33 of the Firearms Act 1968, with certificates renewed every three years. Acquirers match the licence holder to the company that signs the merchant agreement.

Build compliance into the checkout

Age verification, state shipping restrictions, product restrictions by state and order screening should all happen automatically at checkout. Underwriters test the store, so a checkout that blocks restricted products and destinations for each state is one of the strongest parts of an application.

Separate accessories and regulated items

Many shops sell optics, apparel and accessories next to firearms and ammunition. Tell the acquirer the share of each, because some providers accept accessories but not firearms or ammunition, and an account approved only for accessories can be closed if regulated items appear later.

Firearms and Ammunition payment processing by country

United Kingdom

How UK companies get card processing: Companies House and FCA checks, settlement in GBP, UK and UK–EEA card fees, and the payment methods UK customers use.

What providers assess in your application

Licences
Federal firearms licence, state licences and UK dealer registration where relevant.
Product range
Firearms, ammunition, regulated parts and accessories, and the share of each.
Checkout controls
Age checks, FFL transfer collection and state shipping and product restrictions.
States and markets
Where you sell and ship, which decides the coding and the checks required.
Fulfilment
How orders are shipped, to whom and with what verification on delivery.
Processing history
Chargeback and refund ratios, past account closures and any MATCH listing.

Provider suitability differs from business to business: two companies in the same industry can receive opposite answers because of licence, market mix, ticket size or dispute history. We do not state that a provider accepts an industry unless that provider has confirmed it, and no one can guarantee approval.

Check which routes may fit your business

Provider fit in Firearms and Ammunition depends on more than the industry itself: licence, markets, volume and dispute history all change the answer. Answer a few quick questions to start checking your own situation.

A few quick questions about your business

Industry, company country and estimated monthly volume, that is all we need to begin.

Common questions about Firearms and Ammunition payments

Can a gun shop accept card payments online?

Yes. Licensed firearms and ammunition retailers process cards through acquirers whose policy covers the category, with a checkout that follows federal and state rules. Approval and final terms are always the provider's decision.

Does PayPal or Stripe allow firearms sales?

PayPal's acceptable use policy prohibits ammunition, firearms and certain firearm parts and accessories. Stripe's restricted business list, updated September 2026, lists firearms and regulated parts as restricted and available only on a limited basis. Check both policies for your own country.

What is MCC 5723?

It is a merchant category code for firearms and ammunition retailers, approved in September 2022. The card networks paused their rollout in March 2023, some states now require the code and others ban its use. Your acquirer decides how you are coded under the laws of the states you operate in.

Can I ship firearms directly to customers?

Generally not to an unlicensed buyer in another state. Federal rules require such sales to be shipped to a licensed dealer in the buyer's home state, who completes the transfer. State laws can add further restrictions.

Do I need background checks for ammunition sales?

In some states, yes. New York has required ammunition background checks since 13 September 2023, and California's ammunition check law is in force while a federal appeals court rehears a challenge to it. Check the rules in each state you sell into.

What do UK firearms dealers need to take card payments?

Registration as a firearms dealer with the police under section 33 of the Firearms Act 1968 and a provider that accepts the category. Acquirers check the registration and how sales and collection are handled.

Will a provider accept accessories but not firearms?

Some will. Declare every product type in your application so the account is approved for what you actually sell, and keep regulated items off any account that was approved only for accessories.

How does Acquipayer help firearms businesses?

You describe your licences, products, markets, checkout controls, volumes and processing history once in our online application. Your profile is matched with a payment provider whose policy accepts firearms businesses like yours, and your account is prepared with that provider so you can start processing. It is free for merchants, and nothing is shared with a provider until you submit. Approval and final terms are always the provider's decision.

Where to go next

Other industries

iGaming

An iGaming payment solution is the combination of acquirer, PSP or gateway, local payment methods and payout rails that lets an operator take deposits and pay out winnings. Which of those will work for you is decided almost entirely by licensing and player geography: a provider that boards a Curaçao-licensed casino is rarely the same one that boards a UKGC-licensed brand, so the first step is matching your licence and markets to an acquirer's gambling programme.

Forex & CFD

Trading platforms are underwritten on regulatory status and client geography. A regulated brokerage in a recognised jurisdiction has a materially different provider pool than an offshore entity taking retail clients worldwide.

Crypto

Crypto acceptance depends on what the customer receives. On-ramps selling digital assets, custodial exchanges and crypto-adjacent SaaS are underwritten as three different risk profiles.

Find payment providers for your Firearms and Ammunition business

Add your business essentials once. Your profile is compared against provider criteria, and nothing is sent until you submit your onboarding pack.

Check my payment options

Nothing is shared with a provider until you submit your onboarding pack. Approval is always the provider's decision.