In the US guns can be legally purchased online from a licensed dealer. Federal law doesn’t treat online gun sales differently from other gun sales ‒ these sales are governed by exactly the same legal restrictions that govern other firearm transfers, including laws regarding interstate and “private party” gun sales. The process for the customer is very similar to buying a firearm in a brick and mortar store. All an “online" sale allows you to do is PAY for the gun online. How exactly does it work?
Even though online firearm sales are legal, if you’re an independent gun store or manufacturer looking to create an online presence for your business or you already have an eCommerce store, you need to be aware of the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) in place for many of today's eCommerce platforms. Many of the most-used eCommerce platforms won’t allow you to sell your products online or will restrict the catalog you can offer. All are not created equal and many are far from being 2A friendly. Check out the terms, conditions, and policies governing the use of some popular eCommerce platforms that restrict the sale of many firearms and firearm accessories.
Although you can generally sell hunting rifles, simple wheel guns, and most pistols using Shopify (if you set up 2A friendly credit card payments correctly), many firearms and accessories are on their “restricted items” list. You should read the complete Shopify Acceptable Use Policy for yourself but in the meantime, we’ve provided a list of some of their prohibited 2A related items.
WordPress is one of the most widely used site building software. It’s free and open source so that it can be modified and shared by any user in the WordPress community. The core WordPress software package can be downloaded by anyone from WordPress.org, or it can be installed as part of a hosting package from a web hosting provider.
WordPress.com also supports Wordpress. It is run by a commercial company called Automattic which was created by one of the founders of WordPress in order to host WordPress driven sites. Users don’t have to download or install WordPress ‒ it’s part of the hosting services that WordPress.com provides.
When using WordPress.com, you are using a “hosted site” and are subject to their Terms of Service and Store Guidelines Use of ecommerce services on a WordPress.com site ‒ such as a WooCommerce or Payments block ‒ must not violate their User Guidelines and you are restricted from selling any items that are prohibited, fraudulent, abusive, hazardous, or illegal. Firearms, firearm parts, accessories and ammunition fall into their prohibited category.
If using hosted WordPress with WooCommerce, you may not sell (or facilitate the sale of) any of the following in (or through) the eCommerce services on your site:
Self-hosted WordPress and WooCommerce sites allow administrators full access to all the site files and code which they can deploy any way they like. This type of site is hosted by one of many hosting providers who make server space available for websites of all kinds. Owners of self-hosted sites are free to make changes to site files to customize their sites and add any necessary functionality. WordPress and WooCommerce sites that are self-hosted will support firearm sales as long as your hosting provider has no restrictions on what can and can’t be sold when using their servers.
Salesforce bans companies from using its technology in the sale of many types of firearms, including semi automatic, automatic, and 3D-printed guns ‒ as well as many firearm accessories such as magazines (more than ten rounds) and flash or sound suppressors. We recommend that you read the complete Salesforce Acceptable Use and External-Facing Services Policy for yourself. In the meantime, we’ve provided a list of some of their prohibited 2A related items.
Firearm eCommerce sales are complicated. Although all platforms called out here allow some firearm sales, finding the right 2A friendly eCommerce platform can simplify your online sales process, provide a solid foundation for growth and increased revenue and more importantly, provide you with the security that policy changes won’t mean you are suddenly no longer welcome on a specific platform. Smart Solutions is a veteran-owned eCommerce agency that knows the tactical space. Let us help you find the right platform for your business. Contact us to get started. We’re here to help.