For licensed firearms dealers · Free statement review
Firearm merchant accounts done right: better rates, full compliance, real support.
Get a firearm-approved merchant account from a team that's been in payments for 20+ years. We'll review your current statement for free and show you exactly what you should be paying.
Lower, clearer rates
Compliant for your state
A real person
- In business
- 20+ yrs
- Authorize.Net accounts
- 60,000+
- Processed monthly
- $160M+
- Registered ISO/MSP
- Elavon
Get your free statement review
About 60 seconds. A specialist calls you within 1 business day.
Thanks. We're on it.
A specialist will call you within 1 business day, usually much sooner.
Want your review even faster?
Email your latest processing statement to [email protected] with your business name in the subject. A PDF or phone photo is fine.
Setting up a new account? Have these ready:
- Your FFL (and state license, if required)
- Driver's license and a voided business check
- Last 3 months of bank statements
Prefer to talk now? Call 888-573-7587 (M-F, 9-5 MST).
Getting a merchant account shouldn't be this hard
Turned down
Square, Stripe and PayPal won't take firearms. Many brokers that will want months of history you don't have yet.
Overcharged
3-5% "high-risk" rates, bundled pricing you can't read, and fees that show up out of nowhere.
Unsure you're compliant
Merchant codes, state laws, website rules, chargeback limits. Nobody explains them until something goes wrong.
On your own
Support is a ticket number, and nobody on the other end knows what an FFL is.
You run a licensed, regulated business. Your processor should treat it like one.
1 · The best rate
Pay for your real risk, not a label.
A card tapped at your counter costs far less to process than an anonymous online order. So why pay online-store pricing on every sale? With interchange-plus, you see exactly what the card networks charge and exactly what we charge, on separate lines.
How your rate is built
Card network cost
Same for every processor
Our markup
Fixed and visible
Your rate
No hidden tiers
- ✓ No termination fees and no annual fees
- ✓ No address-verification fees
- ✓ Lower debit-card rates passed straight through to you
- ✓ Pricing that reflects how you actually sell: counter, online or both
30-second check
What's your real rate?
Grab your last processing statement. Add up every fee: rates, per-transaction, monthly, gateway, PCI and "other."
Your effective rate
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That's a competitive rate. A review can still catch fees you don't need to pay.
Worth a closer look, especially if most of your sales happen at the counter.
There's a good chance you're overpaying. Let us show you where it's going.
Get a line-by-line reviewYour numbers stay in your browser. We don't save them.
2 · Compliance handled
Stay compliant without becoming a payments lawyer.
You already know firearms law. These are the payment rules that trip dealers up, and what we do about each one.
Firearms merchant code (MCC 5723)
Required in California, Colorado and New York. Banned in about 20 other states.
→ We set your account up correctly for your state.
Website requirements
Card networks require visible refund, shipping and contact details. Firearm sellers also need age and ship-to-FFL policies.
→ We review your site before you go live.
Chargeback limits
Visa lowered its "excessive" threshold for online disputes and fraud to 1.5% in 2026. Crossing it puts accounts at risk.
→ Fraud filters, alerts and prevention guidance.
PCI compliance
Every business that takes cards has an annual security questionnaire. Many processors charge monthly fees if it's late.
→ We walk you through it.
Your documents
FFL, state license and renewals. Missing paperwork is the #1 reason approvals stall.
→ A clear checklist up front, with no surprises mid-underwriting.
Selling online & ammunition
Age verification, state shipping limits and ammo background-check states all affect checkout.
→ Guidance on building them into your checkout.
Payments compliance guidance, not legal advice. Talk to your attorney about firearms law. Want the details? Read our firearm payment compliance guide.
3 · Real support
A payments partner, not a ticket number.
When a terminal won't connect on a Saturday gun show or a chargeback lands on a big order, you need someone who knows your account and your industry.
- 📍
A Salt Lake City team
Real people, Monday–Friday, 9–5 MST. Not an offshore queue.
- 🤝
Someone who knows your account
Talk to people who already know your setup, so you're not explaining your business from scratch every call.
- 🏆
20+ years, 90%+ referrals
More than 60,000 Authorize.Net accounts set up. Most of our clients come to us because someone they trust sent them.
"Shaun and his team understand what we needed as a small business owner. Being a small business owner himself, he understood the value in a solution that is economical along with well supported, which is exactly what we got in START!"
One account for every way you sell
No juggling three providers and three statements.
- At the counter
- Tap, chip and swipe terminals.
- Online store
- Authorize.Net for WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Shopify and 1,000+ carts.
- Phone & mail orders
- A virtual terminal in any browser.
- Gun shows & events
- Mobile acceptance on the same account.
- Ranges & classes
- Recurring billing for memberships.
- Large orders
- eCheck/ACH at a lower cost.
How it works
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Step 1 · 60 seconds
Request your review
Fill in the short form. Send your statement if you have one.
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Step 2 · Within 1 business day
See your numbers
We walk you through your real rate and what you'd pay with START.
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Step 3 · Most in 1-5 business days
Get approved
Digital application with a clear document checklist.
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Step 4 · Within 24 business hours
Start processing
Gateway live. We coordinate the switch so there's no gap in taking cards.
Questions dealers ask us
How do I know if I'm overpaying?
Divide the total fees on your statement by your total card sales. That's your effective rate. If it's well above 3% and most of your sales are at the counter, you're likely paying online-store pricing on in-store sales. Use the calculator above, or send us your statement and we'll break it down line by line.
Why do firearm dealers get charged high-risk rates?
Most of it comes from industry classification and regulatory complexity, not the actual fraud on your sales. In-person firearm sales, with ID and background checks, are often low risk. Good pricing reflects how you actually sell.
What's interchange-plus, and why is it better than tiered pricing?
Interchange-plus passes through the card networks' actual cost and adds a fixed, visible markup. Tiered pricing bundles costs into "qualified" and "non-qualified" buckets that hide the real price. See our side-by-side comparison.
Will you hold a reserve on my account?
It depends on your processing history, volume and sales mix. If a reserve applies, we'll tell you before you sign, not after your first payout.
Are there termination or annual fees?
No. There are no termination fees, no annual fees and no address-verification fees.
What do I need to apply?
Your FFL (01, 02, 07 or SOT), any state dealer license, a driver's license, your EIN, a voided business check and three months of bank statements. If you already take cards, add three months of processing statements.
I'm in California, Colorado or New York. What changes?
Those states require firearm retailers to be assigned the firearms merchant category code (MCC 5723). About 20 other states prohibit it. We set your account up to match your state's law.
Do you charge PCI fees?
We'll go over PCI costs and requirements on your call and help you complete your annual questionnaire, so you're never hit with surprise non-compliance fees.
Can I keep my current POS or website?
Usually, yes. Authorize.Net connects to more than 1,000 shopping carts and many point-of-sale systems. Tell us what you use and we'll confirm before you switch.
Is switching a hassle?
We handle the setup and coordinate the timing with you, so your new account is live before the old one is turned off and there's no day you can't take cards. Most dealers are approved in 1-5 business days.
See what you should be paying. The review is free.
No obligation, and a real person on the phone within 1 business day.
Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM MST