Mail-a-handgun: Trump administration pushes to allow firearms to be delivered by USPS
The Trump administration is pressuring the U.S. Postal Service to allow people to send concealable handguns through the mail after the Justice Department declared a 99-year ban on the practice unconstitutional.
California Adv. Gen. Rob Bonta calls the proposed handgun mail-in policy a “dangerous loophole” that threatens to undermine the state’s gun control laws and enable gun trafficking.
Under the proposed change Summarized by USPS last monthRevolvers and other handguns will be reclassified as mailable firearms and will be shipped unloaded and securely packaged, following the same rules that currently apply to long-barreled rifles and shotguns.
The Golden State isn’t alone in slamming the policy proposal. This week, Bonta joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general from mostly Democratic states in sending a comment letter to the Postal Service outlining their opposition.
“The Trump Administration is once again recklessly disregarding the safety of the people it is sworn to serve,” Bonta said in a statement. “We cannot ignore the dangerous consequences of this proposed rule, which could open the door to prohibited individuals obtaining guns without a background check or disregarding state firearms laws.”
USPS said it will review all public comments before finalizing any policy changes.
Congress banned the public from carrying concealable firearms in 1927, but in January the Justice Department posted a comment He supported a challenge filed by gun rights groups and declared the federal law unconstitutional.
“So long as Congress chooses to conduct a takeaway, the Second Amendment prevents it from denying shipments of constitutionally protected firearms to law-abiding citizens, even if they are not licensed manufacturers or dealers,” the opinion said.
gun rights advocates praised the proposed changeHe said it would allow citizens to more easily ship handguns for repairs, for sport shooting and when moving to a new address.
“The Trump Administration is delivering another significant victory for America’s law-abiding gun owners,” John Commerford, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement. “For nearly a century, the United States Postal Service arbitrarily prevented handguns from being sent through the mail.”
But Bonta and the opposition coalition of state attorneys general argue that the law restricting the mailing of handguns through USPS is constitutional. They also say the Justice Department, which is part of the executive branch, has no authority to unilaterally overrule longstanding federal law.
They say that by allowing people to send guns in the mail and eliminating the need for a licensed dealer, it will be easier for criminals and domestic abusers to access those guns illegally. They also argue that it would make it harder for law enforcement to track gun movements and solve related crimes.
Under the proposed policy change, people are only allowed to send guns to another person in the same state. If they want to move a gun across state lines, they have to ship it under the supervision of another person and then unpack it themselves.
But opponents of the change say there would be no easy way to ensure people comply with those rules and various state gun laws when mailing easily concealed handguns.
“Expecting postal workers to navigate complex federal, state and local firearms laws is categorically unfair and downright dangerous,” Kris Brown, president of the gun violence prevention group Brady, said in a statement, “and under this new system, we will undoubtedly see an increase in firearms trafficking and theft, putting us all at risk.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
