Can You Buy A Gun With A Credit Card?

By Bruce Boswell •  Updated: 12/03/21 •  6 min read
Filed under: Credit Cards

Guns are often seen as an integral part of American society. Guns were there at the start of the American Revolution, and they will likely last in America for a good while yet.

They are of course a much more controversial subject than they once were. Gun ownership has been questioned by as many people as it has been supported. 

Can you Buy A Gun with a Credit Card

However, if you want to buy a gun then you might be asking yourself many different questions. How do you apply for a gun license? What kind of gun can you buy? What type of gun should you buy? Can you buy a gun using a credit card?

All of these questions are important to answer if you want to be a responsible gun owner and this piece will answer them for you. Gun ownership is a solemn responsibility so you need to know as much as possible because you buy one and this article will aim to give you the answers that you need.

How Do You Apply For A Gun License? 

Firstly, let’s explain the system in America. There is no such thing as a nationally required gun license in the United States because it is believed to be against the Second Amendment of the Constitution and down to individual states to legislate as they see fit as to who can and should have a license of some kind. 

In California for example you need a Firearm Safety Certificate and proof of residency before you can buy a gun. Once you have bought the gun it must be registered with the state authorities.

Similar rules apply in Connecticut, where you must pass a national background check. This is the same in Hawaii and the District of Columbia but again many states do not have these laws, so you purchase your fire arm without much difficulty. 

Even in states that require background checks or some form of certificate of ownership, the documentation is very light and is no real trouble for getting a firearm if you so wish to. 

What Kind Of Gun Should You Buy?

Now that we have explained how the system works, lets discuss which sort of gun you should buy. The type of gun you buy is of course dependent on what you want to use it for.

If you are intending to go hunting you will, by necessity, need something along the lines of a shot gun.

Areas that are designated for hunting have particular rules on what kind of firearms can be used in them so it is worth checking what their recommendations or rules are for what kind of gun you can have. 

If you are simply thinking of buying a weapon for protecting yourself and your family if your house is broken in to then it is probably best to buy a handgun. Handguns are relatively small compared to other guns, easy to load and can be easily picked up and put down when you have to. 

It is of course important to remember that whatever gun you decide to choose that you are careful with it. A gun isn’t a toy and shouldn’t be treated like one. It should only be used for its allotted purpose when it has to be.

Guns should be stored away carefully and in a secure location when not in use. 

This ensures that there are no accidents involving the gun or that it is easily stolen. The last thing you want is for your gun to be involved in either an accident or to be stolen and used for a purpose that you don’t wish it to be used for. 

Can You Buy A Gun With A Credit Card?

Now that we have addressed the issue of whether you need a gun licence or nor and what kind of gun you should buy, let’s examine whether or not you can buy a gun with a credit card. 

Of course, buying a gun with a credit card seems like a great idea – it means you can easily get your gun and you can pay off the amount you used to pay for the gun over a longer period rather than losing out by paying a set amount of money up front. 

However, the process of using to pay for a gun with a credit card is actually a little more complicated than it might first seem. 

You can buy a gun with a credit; however, you can’t do it everywhere. This is because some credit card processing companies judges the purchase of firearms to be high risk purchases and therefore won’t let you use a credit card to buy one.

The vendors that do this are PayPal, Stripe and Square. So if you are attempting to use one of those vendors to buy a gun using your credit card then you will be out of luck. 

However, there are gun friendly credit card processors such as Payment Alliance International which will allow you to use your credit card to buy a gun. 

Most gun retailors will have payment processes that ensure you can pay with your credit card, however there are also someone which do not allow you to use your credit card to buy a gun. It is worth checking out the status of the store that you will be using when you got to buy the gun so that you don’t come away empty handed. 

Guns And Credit Cards – Both Require Responsibility 

At the end of the day, both owning a gun and owning a credit card require a certain degree of responsibility.

This is because both can be used badly by people who don’t know what they are doing, and you certainly don’t want to be classed amongst those people. 

Taking responsibility and doing what is right is a core part of being an upstanding citizen which is why you must make sure to take care of both your credit card and your gun.

Knowing how to use both of them properly is a core part of being an adult and ensuring that we keep the world a safe place for all. 

Bruce BoswellBruce Boswell

Bruce Boswell

Bruce Boswell enjoys researching and writing about all things related to investing and saving money. Whenever he has a chance, Bruce loves travelling all around the world with his wife and trying new foods.