Funding your 2A Project

Funding Your 2A Project: Crowdfunding, Online Sales and Affiliate Income

Websites, podcasts, channels, training programs and advocacy groups all cost money to run. Most 2A projects are funded through some mix of three sources: direct support from an audience (crowdfunding and memberships), sales of products or merchandise, and advertising or affiliate commissions. This page of Minuteman University.com explains how each works and, just as important, which platforms allow firearm-related projects at all.

Platform rules are the first hurdle. Many mainstream services restrict firearms, and the rules often reach further than buyers expect. GoFundMe’s terms prohibit fundraisers involving firearms and ammunition. Kickstarter’s rules bar weapons and replicas. Etsy prohibits guns, gun parts, ammunition and accessories that modify a firearm, such as magazines, sights and grips, while still allowing items like holsters, cases and display racks. Amazon and eBay do not allow firearm or ammunition sales. Because these policies change, read the current terms before building a campaign or store on any platform, and keep a backup plan in case an account is suspended.

For many creators, the most stable approach is owning the base of operations: a self-hosted website and email list, an online store on a platform that permits the products being sold, and firearm-friendly affiliate and payment partners. Firearm sales themselves go through specialized marketplaces such as GunBroker, where guns ship to a licensed dealer for transfer. Affiliate programs pay a commission when a reader buys through a tracked link, and several affiliate networks, including AvantLink, CJ and AWIN, carry outdoor and shooting-sports merchants.

Table summarizing firearm policies of crowdfunding and sales platforms

Pages in This Section

  • Affiliate Systems: how affiliate marketing works for 2A sites, networks to know and disclosure rules.

Tips for Funding a 2A Project

  • Read each platform’s prohibited-items policy before launch; accessories and digital files are often covered too.
  • Diversify income so one suspended account cannot shut the project down.
  • Disclose affiliate links and sponsored content clearly, as the FTC requires.
  • Never sell or ship firearms outside the law; interstate gun sales go through an FFL.
  • Collect email addresses so supporters can be reached even if a social platform removes an account.

Related Pages

Sources

Crowd Funding

  • Patreon
  • Kickstarter
  • IndieGoGo
  • GoFundMe

Online Sales

  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • GunBroker
  • Etsy
  • Ruby Lane – Vintage & Antiques
  • Bonanza – Direct Slaes Alternative to Amazon
    ” Shop for everything but the ordinary ”
  • Craigslist – online Classifieds
  • eBid
  • Your own online store
  • Niche specific auction
  • Niche specific retail sites

Affiliate Banners

  • Amazon
  • Adsense
  • USCCA
  • AvantLink
  • NRA
  • VigLink