Gun and gun parts retailers such as Spike’s Tactical are protesting the new Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) put into place by Shopify as it will affect the businesses that use the Canadian company’s platform. Shopify is e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems.

Shopify has over 600,000 retailers using the platform with a total gross merchandise volume that exceeds $63 billion. Shopify helps small to medium companies to launch their online e-commerce websites quicky without worrying much about the backend systems such as payment facilities and shopping carts and focus on their sales and inventory.

This makes Shopify an important online service for online retailers so they can devote more attention on selling their products with the platform taking care of security, website hosting, updates, and other important e-commerce tools.

The new AUP covers restricted items. In this case, it is about firearms:

Certain Firearms

• an automatic firearm that has not been rendered inoperable
• a semi-automatic firearm that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine, with one or more of the following items:
  • magazine capable of accepting more than 10 rounds
  • bump stock
  • rapid fire trigger activator or trigger crank
  • barrel shroud
  • thumbhole stock
  • threaded barrel capable of accepting a flash suppressor, sound suppressor or silencer
  • grenade or rocket launcher
  • flash suppressor, sound suppressor or silencer
  • pistol grip (or in the case of a pistol, a second pistol grip)
  • forward pistol grip
• a semi-automatic firearm that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds
• firearms without serial numbers
• ghost guns and 3D printed guns, including blueprints for such guns
• any part, component or kit for any firearm or gun listed above

Certain Firearm Parts

• 80% or unfinished lower receivers
• magazine capable of accepting more than 10 rounds
• bump stock
• grenade or rocket launcher
• pistol grip (or in the case of a pistol, a second pistol grip)
• forward pistol grip
• barrel shroud*
• thumbhole stock*
• threaded barrel capable of accepting a flash suppressor, sound suppressor or silencer
• flash suppressor, sound suppressor or silencer*
• rapid fire trigger activator or trigger crank
• any part, component or kit for a firearm part or including a firearm part listed above

*only if for use with a semi-automatic firearm

“This decision will have significant ramifications to our business and should concern every online retailer and Second Amendment supporter,” said Cole Leleux, general manager of Spike’s Tactical in a press release. “We have invested more than $100,000 in the development of our Shopify store, which will disappear once these policies go into effect.”

Usually, proprietary systems makes it hard for one business to transfer from one service to another. Shopify is an example of this systems and thus, the information stored on their platform cannot be easily transferred to another online platform. That’s the worry of the online retailers that will be affected by the new AUP.

Spike's Tactical On Shopify

According to Spike’s Tactical, another company feels the pain of Shopify’s new AUP is Rare Breed Arms which just launched their new Spartan Lower Receiver and will be offered via the Shopify e-commerce platform. The president of Rare Breed Arms, Lawrence DeMonico, said that, “We have spent the last three years developing the Rare Breed brand and more than $40,000 developing our Shopify site. Depending on how this policy is rolled out, this is a move that could put companies like ours out of business, and we will undoubtedly be looking to pursue legal options.”

As to when the new AUP will go into effect, there is no information. Spike’s Tactical tried to reach out Shopify and they got referred to the company’s Legal Department which have not replied yet to their queries.

Will this affect airsoft retailers that use Shopify? So far, there is no information on this as the AUP is more specific to real steel firearms. But sometimes parts and accessories used in airsoft can be mistaken as compatible with real steel guns and they may just get affected. If you are an airsoft retailer using the service, it is best now to contact them to clarify if they are able to distinguish what is airsoft and what is for real steel rather than wait for algorithm to mess things up. Or just tell them to lay off on firearms retailers who are just making an honest business online.