Selling firearms online isn’t like selling camping gear or fishing rods. One compliance gap can mean a terminated payment processor, a state attorney general investigation, or worse. And most firearms retailers don’t find out they have a problem until it’s already expensive.

We work with outdoor and firearms brands on their e-commerce sites. Here are the compliance issues we see most often—and what to do about them.

Age Verification Is More Than a Checkbox

Most firearms sites have some form of age gate—a popup asking “Are you 21?” when you first visit. That’s a start, but it’s not enough.

A real age verification system operates at multiple levels:

Site entry: The initial age gate establishes intent but isn’t legally sufficient on its own. It’s a first layer, not the whole system.

Checkout verification: This is where actual identity verification matters. Services like Veratad, AgeChecker.net, and Persona verify age against government databases. A self-reported checkbox at checkout won’t protect you if a minor completes a purchase.

Ammunition-specific requirements: States like California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut have specific age requirements for ammunition purchases that differ from firearm requirements. If you sell ammo, you need state-specific logic in your checkout flow.

The sites that get this right treat age verification as infrastructure, not a formality.

State Restrictions Are a Moving Target

Every firearms retailer knows they can’t ship certain products to certain states. The problem is keeping up. State laws change regularly, and a product that was legal to ship to a state last year may not be this year.

The common gaps we see:

Magazine capacity bans: As of 2026, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Washington restrict high-capacity magazines. Your checkout flow needs to block these items based on shipping address—not just display a disclaimer.

Ammunition shipping restrictions: California requires ammo shipped to an FFL dealer or licensed vendor. DC prohibits ammo sales entirely. Illinois requires a FOID card for ammo purchases. These rules require different handling per state.

“Assault weapon” definitions vary wildly: What qualifies as a restricted weapon differs dramatically between states. A rifle that’s perfectly legal in Texas might violate feature-based bans in New York or California. Product-level compliance mapping is essential.

Silent failures are the worst outcome: If a customer in a restricted state adds a prohibited item to cart and gets a vague error at checkout, that’s a bad experience and a compliance risk. Clear, upfront messaging—“This item cannot be shipped to your state”—protects both you and the customer.

FFL Transfers: The Biggest Point of Confusion

Federal law requires firearms to ship to a licensed Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealer, not directly to the buyer. The customer picks up the firearm at the dealer after completing a background check. Every online firearms retailer knows this. Not all of them handle it well.

FFL selection at checkout: Customers need to select a receiving FFL during the purchase process. An integrated FFL locator that lets customers search by zip code and select a dealer makes this seamless. Forcing customers to email FFL information separately creates friction and compliance risk.

Clear process documentation: Many buyers—especially first-time online purchasers—don’t fully understand the transfer process. Explain it clearly: what happens after they order, how long the transfer takes, what they need to bring to the dealer, and what the dealer charges for the transfer.

No direct shipping language: This seems obvious, but we see it regularly. Product pages, cart messaging, or even automated emails that imply firearms ship directly to the buyer. Every customer-facing touchpoint should reference the FFL transfer process.

Payment Processing Is a Compliance Decision

Stripe, PayPal, and Square explicitly prohibit firearms transactions in their terms of service. If you’re processing firearms sales through one of these platforms, you’re one flagged transaction away from a frozen account and held funds.

Firearms-friendly processors exist specifically for this industry. They cost more per transaction, but they won’t shut you down overnight. The switch is worth it—not just for compliance, but for business continuity.

Beyond the processor itself, ensure your payment flow handles state-specific tax requirements for firearms and ammunition. Some states have specific excise taxes on firearms sales that your checkout needs to calculate correctly.

Your Return Policy Needs Firearms-Specific Language

Generic e-commerce return policies don’t work for firearms. A “30-day no-questions-asked return” policy creates legal complications when the product is a regulated weapon.

Your return policy should explicitly address:

• Whether firearms are returnable (many retailers accept returns only for defective items)
• The process for returning a firearm (hint: it involves FFL transfers in both directions)
• Ammunition return restrictions (many states prohibit returned ammo from being resold)
• Who pays for return shipping and transfer fees

Vague or missing firearms return language is a liability. Be specific.

How to Audit Your Own Site

We built a free compliance checker that walks through the 12 most critical items. It takes about two minutes and gives you a score with specific recommendations for gaps.

It covers:

• Age verification at multiple touchpoints
• State restriction enforcement
• FFL transfer process clarity
• Payment and policy compliance

It’s not a substitute for legal counsel—firearms regulations are complex and change frequently. But it’s a solid starting point for understanding where your site stands.

The Bottom Line

Firearms e-commerce compliance isn’t optional, and it isn’t static. The retailers who treat it as ongoing infrastructure rather than a one-time checklist are the ones who avoid costly problems.

If your site has gaps, address them now. A payment processor termination or state enforcement action is significantly more expensive than building compliance into your site from the start.

Need help building a compliant firearms e-commerce site? Let’s talk.