Regulated products
Firearms and ammunition merchant accounts
Commonly assigned MCC
5941 · 5999
The category actually assigned is set by the acquirer at boarding and can differ from these.
The short version
Firearms retail is the clearest case where restricted does not mean risky. Chargeback ratios in the vertical are typically low, average tickets are healthy, and the transfer procedure — shipping to a licensed dealer who runs the background check — is tightly defined.
Acquirers decline it anyway, on reputational policy. That leaves a lawful, well-documented business needing a processor that has actually written the vertical rather than one that will discover it at the first portfolio review.
What is actually being priced
What underwriting is looking at.
Category decline, not risk decline
Most declines here are policy exclusions written at the acquirer, which is why a strong processing history often does not help with a mainstream processor.
Transfer procedure is auditable
Underwriting checks that firearms ship to an FFL holder and that your process matches what your site tells customers.
State-by-state restrictions
Magazine capacity, feature and ammunition rules differ by state, and the enforcement point is your checkout.
What we put in place
- Acquirers who write 2A verticals as stated policy rather than by exception
- Card-present, card-not-present and range or retail POS on one account
- Gateway rules for FFL transfer and restricted-state logic
- Written confirmation of category permission before you board
What underwriting will ask you for
Assemble these before you apply anywhere. The list does not get shorter by waiting, and having it ready is the single biggest thing you control about how long this takes.
- Your FFL, or the FFL network you transfer through
- Restricted-state and compliance logic at checkout
- Catalogue split between firearms, ammunition and accessories
- Existing processing statements if you are switching
On this account
What a boarded account in this vertical usually carries.
Also in regulated products
Tell us about your firearms & ammo business.
We will tell you whether a route exists right now, which acquirers are writing the category, and what your file needs before it goes anywhere.