PROHIBITS FIREARMS
Stripe
Restricted-businesses list covers weapons and firearm components; limited exceptions only with explicit prior written approval.
July 12, 2026 · Updated September 4, 2026 · 10 min read
The 10 best gun-friendly payment processors for FFL dealers.
Short version: most FFL dealers should run Authorize.Net on a merchant account underwritten for firearms, and the rest of this list is who else will actually hold that account. The mainstream aggregators (Stripe, Square, PayPal, Shopify Payments) prohibit firearms sales outright and close accounts that try.
Need Authorize.Net? Merchant account + gateway ▸/Gateway only ▸(partner links, no added cost)
01 — The list
Which payment processors work with gun stores in 2026?
Ten names that actively serve firearms merchants, ranked for a typical independent dealer selling online and over the counter. Rates are deliberately not quoted: high-risk pricing varies by volume, product mix, and history, and any article giving you one number is guessing. Compare real quotes.
- 01
Authorize.Net
GATEWAY, OR GATEWAY + MERCHANT ACCOUNTBEST FOR: MOST FFL DEALERS, ONLINE AND IN-STORE
The most widely integrated gateway in ecommerce, and the one every serious firearms platform (SiteTac included) connects to first. Through the partner program you can get the gateway alone in front of a merchant account you already hold, or a merchant account plus gateway package underwritten for FFL dealers.
Watch for: The gateway itself is low risk; the underwriting lives in the merchant account behind it. Apply through a channel that knows firearms so you land with an acquirer that keeps you.
- 02
NMI
GATEWAY ONLYBEST FOR: DEALERS WHOSE MERCHANT ACCOUNT PROVIDER PREFERS NMI
A gateway with strong fraud tooling, common across the firearms world and on GunBroker setups. Many high-risk merchant account providers front their accounts with NMI.
Watch for: Same gateway-versus-account distinction as Authorize.Net: NMI needs a firearms-friendly merchant account behind it. SiteTac storefronts connect through Authorize.Net, so ask your provider for that gateway instead.
- 03
TacticalPay
FULL STACK, FIREARMS SPECIALISTBEST FOR: DEALERS WHO WANT A PROCESSOR WHOSE WHOLE BUSINESS IS GUNS
Firearms-only processor with counter, ecommerce, and GunBroker products, working with the Authorize.Net and NMI gateways.
Watch for: Policy risk is as low as this market gets; compare pricing against generalist high-risk providers before signing.
- 04
Easy Pay Direct
MERCHANT ACCOUNT + GATEWAYBEST FOR: HIGHER-VOLUME DEALERS WHO WANT REDUNDANCY
High-risk specialist offering firearms merchant accounts with multiple gateway options and load balancing across accounts, in-store and online.
Watch for: Built around not shutting firearms merchants off; the multi-account model adds setup complexity a small shop may not need.
- 05
PaymentCloud
MERCHANT ACCOUNT + GATEWAYBEST FOR: NEWER FFLS WHO NEED HELP GETTING APPROVED
High-risk merchant services with hands-on underwriting help, useful when you are assembling the paperwork for a first firearms merchant account.
Watch for: Firearms is an advertised, supported vertical; ask which acquiring bank your account will sit with.
- 06
Zen Payments
MERCHANT ACCOUNT + GATEWAYBEST FOR: DEALERS WHO HAVE BEEN DROPPED BY A BANK BEFORE
High-risk specialist with a network of acquiring banks, placing firearms merchants with a bank willing to hold the account.
Watch for: The multi-bank model is the value; confirm the specific bank and its firearms stance at signing.
- 07
SoarPay
MERCHANT ACCOUNT + GATEWAYBEST FOR: HIGH-RISK MERCHANTS WHO WANT A FAST APPLICATION
High-risk merchant accounts with firearms as a named supported industry and standard gateway integrations.
Watch for: A generalist high-risk shop rather than a firearms specialist; make sure the rep understands FFL transfers and ship-to-FFL flows.
- 08
Corepay
MERCHANT ACCOUNT + GATEWAYBEST FOR: ONLINE-FIRST FFLS AND GUN SHOPS
High-risk provider that markets directly to FFL dealers and online firearm retailers, with gateway options that include Authorize.Net and NMI.
Watch for: Newer name than the specialists above; check the contract term and early-termination language.
- 09
Durango Merchant Services
MERCHANT ACCOUNT + GATEWAYBEST FOR: DEALERS WHO WANT A LONG-TENURED HIGH-RISK PROVIDER
One of the longer-standing high-risk merchant account providers, with firearms and ammunition as supported categories and Authorize.Net or NMI in front.
Watch for: Underwriting is thorough; expect a real document request rather than an instant approval.
- 10
Gearfire Payments
MERCHANT ACCOUNT + GATEWAYBEST FOR: DEALERS ALREADY INSIDE THE GEARFIRE ECOSYSTEM
Gun-friendly processing tied to the Gearfire platform and POS products.
Watch for: Best when you already run Gearfire; on any other storefront you are better served by a processor that is not tied to a competing platform.
Each provider publishes firearms as a supported category as of September 2026. Offerings change; confirm directly before signing. Not legal or financial advice.
02 — The blocklist
Why can't I just use Square or PayPal?
Because their terms say no, in writing. These are aggregators: your money flows through their master account, so their policy is your policy, and enforcement is an account closure, often discovered mid-sale, sometimes with funds held during review. GunTab maintains a running tracker of platform firearm policies; Stripe's own restricted-businesses FAQ confirms weapons categories require explicit prior approval at best. The line-by-line policies are in our Stripe, Square, and PayPal alternatives guide.
PROHIBITS FIREARMS
Square
Prohibits firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition sales in its terms.
PROHIBITS FIREARMS
PayPal / Venmo
Acceptable Use Policy prohibits online firearms, ammunition, and certain parts transactions, a policy in place since 2003.
PROHIBITS FIREARMS
Shopify Payments
Prohibited-business list includes firearms, holsters, ammunition, and weapons.
03 — The architecture
How should the pieces fit together?
The resilient setup for an online gun store is three separate layers you control: a firearms-friendly merchant account (yours, portable), a standard gateway like Authorize.Net or NMI plugged into it, and a storefront platform that connects to your gateway instead of forcing its own processing on you.
That last layer is where platforms differ. Some bundle processing and price the bundle attractively, fine until the bundle is the lock-in. SiteTac takes the other side: Authorize.Net is a first-class connection, SiteTac never touches the money, and your processing survives any platform decision, ours included. The same logic applies whichever storefront you pick, which is why this article works even if you never become a customer. Details on the payments page, the gun store website builder, and the FFL website builder.
Getting approved is its own process with its own paperwork; we wrote it up as a firearms merchant account approval checklist.
04 — FAQ
Processing questions, answered straight.
What is the best payment processor for a gun store?
For most FFL dealers in 2026, Authorize.Net: it is the gateway every firearms storefront platform integrates first, and through a firearms-aware partner program you can get it alone (in front of a merchant account you already hold) or packaged with a merchant account underwritten for FFL dealers. Specialists like TacticalPay, Easy Pay Direct, and PaymentCloud are the strongest alternatives.
Why do gun stores need special payment processors?
Because the mainstream aggregators (Stripe, Square, PayPal, Shopify Payments) prohibit firearms and ammunition sales in their terms and routinely close accounts that violate them, sometimes holding funds during review. Firearms is classified as a high-risk vertical, so FFLs need a merchant account underwritten by a bank that explicitly accepts it.
What is the difference between a payment gateway and a merchant account?
The gateway (Authorize.Net, NMI) is the software that carries the card data from your checkout; the merchant account is the bank relationship that actually accepts the money. Aggregators bundle both, which is exactly why their policies can shut you off. Gun-friendly setups keep them separate: your own merchant account from a high-risk acquirer, connected to a standard gateway.
How much does firearms payment processing cost?
It varies too much to quote honestly. High-risk merchant accounts price on your volume, product mix, chargeback history, and license type, and typically land above the flat rates aggregators advertise. Get two or three real quotes, and compare effective rate (total fees divided by volume), not the headline rate.
Does SiteTac process gun sale payments?
No, deliberately. SiteTac connects to the dealer’s own Authorize.Net gateway and never touches the transaction. Your processing relationship is yours: if you leave SiteTac, your merchant account goes with you, and no SiteTac policy change can ever interrupt your revenue.
Can I use my existing in-store processor for my website?
Sometimes. Card-present (counter) and card-not-present (online) are underwritten separately, so ask your current processor whether your merchant account covers ecommerce and which gateways it supports. If it does, adding the Authorize.Net gateway in front of it is the shortest path to taking cards online.
Bring your gateway. Keep your money.
SiteTac connects to your Authorize.Net gateway and never touches the transaction. Start with a free trial.
Keep reading: How to get a firearms merchant account/Can you sell guns on Shopify?