Despite the controversy around gun control over these past years, gun sales have been on the rise throughout the US. The guns and ammo industry is lucrative for those who can keep their footing. That means understanding local laws related to firearms and making online firearm sales.

You’d be hard-pressed to think that understanding gun laws is the tougher of the two, but in reality selling guns online is much more difficult. This is entirely thanks to the strict measures many payment processors hold against firearm merchants.

The solution to this problem is by using a firearms merchant account, like what we provide here at DirectPayNet.

Reasons Why Firearms Businesses Might Be Denied Service by Credit Card Processors

Finding a credit card processor that will approve a firearms business is no easy task. Whether it’s ethics-related, anticipation of legal changes, or the high-risk nature of the firearms industry.

Ethics

Credit card processors can create their own rules, and many implement their personal views related to the ethics of selling firearms and ammo into their policies. This refers to the idea of “dirty money” or guilt related to any potential happenings. This is a decidedly negative perspective on the industry that doesn’t paint the whole picture of either why someone wants to be a firearms merchant or the reason someone wants to purchase a firearm.

A DirectPayNet merchant account is the simplest solution, providing near instant approval from a completely objective policy. Merchant accounts like this don’t use subjective ethics to allow a completely legal company to its business.

Legal Changes

In recent years, a lot of attention has been brought upon gun control. In anticipation of adhering to the aggression towards owning a gun or selling firearms, many credit card processing providers deny their service to e-commerce firearms merchants.

While there are arguments towards this type of logic, it stands that firearms merchants are completely legal under the laws by which we currently abide. Merchant accounts abide by current state laws, not future potential laws that don’t exist. If you are operating legally, you have all the right to make sales with the payment method most people prefer: credit and debit cards.

High Risk Business

The laws that control the sale and ownership of firearms are strict, which is another legal reason why financial institutions and payment processors are more inclined to deny service. There is less financial and reputation risk to mitigate if there are less laws restricting an industry’s sales.

It’s quite limited that some payment gateway service providers make attempts at completely avoiding an industry because of the laws that surround it. Contrarily, those laws should make sales and processing even easier as sales are already restricted by a buyer’s age, location, background check, and more.

There’s also the fear of a damaged reputation. It’s perfectly logical to think it would be a stretch to put the blame on credit card processing in the case that a negative situation should arise. Most of the time, gun holders and sellers are perfectly safe. This is a paranoia that shouldn’t affect the payment processing power of an industry that serves the entire world.

Some merchant accounts providers don’t falter to this type of fear and accept high-risk sellers like firearms merchants without a hitch, so long as the merchant is operating legally. We at DirectPayNet understand your business and your goals, and we’re more than accommodating with our credit card processing solutions.

The Stringent Expectations from Most Credit Card Processors

Long History of Sales

Another expectation from payment gateway providers for e-commerce gun dealers is a long sales processing history. They want you to prove your value and credibility through a history of financial transactions. Along with these transactions, they want a long history of timely credit payments. Loyal customers, stable income, and more are serious expectations.

We call this a catch-22. How would any new firearms dealers be able to make sales since there’s no possible way to have a financial history when you’re just starting up? It’s likely, too, that firearms merchants with a stable income aren’t submitting these applications. If they’re already stable, making money, and have a loyal customer base, then why change?

There’s the counterpoint that some companies do want to change who they use as a payment processor. Reasons for this include choosing one with a lower fee or shortened processing time—both of which can be easily achieved with a good firearms merchant account like ours.

Benefits of Using a Firearms Merchant Account

Merchant accounts like the one we offer from DirectPayNet are designed to accommodate your needs, fully knowing you work in a high-risk industry. Before we outline the benefits of the account for guns and ammo sellers, the fact that a merchant account is made for this type of industry should be your primary motivation for applying.

Accept All Major Credit Cards

Online sales run on digital transactions; there’s no way to pay in cash on a digital storefront. Credit card payment processing services like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon, Samsung, PayPal, and Stripe try to ease the purchasing experience. However, they either only offer their services to dedicated users (e.g., you can’t use Apple Pay without an iPhone), or their services are limited to merchants they deem safe. They also prohibit many industries they consider high-risk such as firearms businesses.

The better solution for firearm retailers is a high risk merchant account because they don’t discriminate by industry or user. Our merchant accounts accept all major credit cards like Visa and MasterCard, appealing to all and rejecting none so customers of any kind can easily make purchases from your gun store. We are a gun-friendly credit card processor.

Manage Risks, Fraud, and Chargebacks

We are industry leaders in navigating around risks, reducing chargebacks, and avoiding refunds. DirectPayNet is a merchant account provider that gives you access to proactive merchant services and support personal to help you move past risks and maintain profitability.

When integrating our payment service into your business, we offer you tools to prevent chargebacks and automate the detection of fraud. These are the two leading reasons why many providers won’t offer their service to you, and we’re giving you the tools to fight it.

Total Legal Compliance

As a firearms merchant, regulations depend on the state in which you sell your products. Our merchant account adheres to legal and compliance standards no matter where you’re selling. With DirectPayNet on your side, you get world-class support and advice to help you stay compliant and remain profitable in a legally strict industry.

Now Is the Time to Start a Firearms Business

The firearms industry moves upwards of $60 billion in the US market. With half of all American households upholding their Second Amendment right to own a firearm, there will always be interested buyers. Owning a gun is woven into the American identity.

It’s a fact that people who own guns feel safer in their homes. And since the industry is so lucrative, opening a firearms business is an appealing prospect for many. You can provide that safety for individuals and families, alike, by opening a gun shop online. As expected, there are state and federal laws your business must abide by, but that shouldn’t deter you from being involved in the multi-billion dollar industry.

The first step to any business related to firearms and ammo is to receive a license followed by registering your business. Once you open the online store, you’ll want to explore payment processing options that offer convenience for both you and your customers.

Becoming a Firearms Merchant

To become a firearms merchant in any state, you must own a Federal Firearms License (FFL). The rules set by federal law include the following:

• You must be at least 21 years of age.
• You must NOT be prohibited from handling or owning a firearm.
• You must NOT have any violations against you relating to the Gun Control Act.
• You must NOT have a history of non-disclosure of facts related to your FFL application.
• You must have a premise for conducting business.

These are the rules set by the government that must be adhered to. Once you obtain your license, you are free to open your store and your firearms merchant account.

Open a Firearms Merchant Account with DirectPayNet Today and Increase Your Reach, Sales, and Profitability

Our customer support team is ready to answer any questions you have regarding pricing and benefits, and to set you up with a merchant account today. We’re dedicated to your industry and providing the support you need to keep your business booming.

Contact us today and get set up for success on your venture into online gun sales.