Why Ammunition Compliance Is Difficult

The Challenge of Ammunition Sales

If you sell ammunition online, you know how complex shipping regulations can be. Each jurisdiction has its own rules, and they can vary dramatically.

For example, California law requires all ammunition sales to go through licensed vendors with face-to-face transactions, while Massachusetts requires customers to have a Firearms Identification Card (FID) or License to Carry (LTC).

The rules get even more complicated when you consider that requirements can vary by county and ammunition type. For merchants, keeping track of all these requirements manually is not just time-consuming—it’s a compliance risk they can’t afford to take.

Introducing Automated Ammunition Compliance

Luckily for BigCommerce merchants, there’s an app for that.

Automatic FFL not only automates firearms shipping compliance, but also simplifies ammunition compliance by enforcing state-level regulations, creating a standardized process that removes the need to navigate through complex local rules.

• Automatic State Detection: The system automatically determines whether a customer’s shipping state requires FFL shipping for ammunition
• Smart Shipping Logic: Firearms are always shipped to FFL dealers, while ammunition is sent to FFL dealers only when required

How It Works

1. Enable the Feature: Simply activate the ammunition add-on in your Automatic FFL dashboard
2. Choose States: Choose which states you’d like to require FFL Shipment for ammo
3. Tag Your Products: Using BigCommerce’s bulk export/import feature, or by manual assignment, add the custom field ffl_type with a value of ammo to your ammo products.
4. Start Selling: Customers will now be required to ship ammunition to an FFL dealer, in the states you’ve selected, by choosing an ATF-verified FFL Dealer from a map during the checkout process. Firearms will always ship to an FFL dealer.

Benefits for Merchants

• Reduced Risk: Eliminate manual compliance checks and potential errors
• Save Time: No more reviewing ammo requirements for each order
• Increase Sales: Confidently expand your ammunition sales to new states
• Simplified Operations: One system handles both firearms and ammunition compliance

Pricing and Availability

The ammunition compliance feature is available as an add-on to your existing Automatic FFL subscription OR as a standalone product for $75 per month, or $65 when bundled with our firearms compliance service. Learn more about our pricing here.

Note: This feature is currently exclusive to BigCommerce platforms.