Key Takeaways
- The U.S. Postal Service proposes a rule that could limit mail delivery of firearms, contradicting a recent court ruling.
- Gun Owners of America claims this new rule would block millions of legally owned firearms from being shipped.
- The USPS still prohibits the mailing of ammunition, unlike FedEx and UPS.
- GOA urges gun owners to submit public comments against the proposed rule before the May 4 deadline.
- The Second Amendment protects the rights of gun owners, and no federal agency should create new restrictions.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Postal Service is moving forward with a proposed rule that gun rights advocates say undermines a recent federal court victory and continues to violate the Second Amendment.
Gun Owners of America (GOA) won a court case earlier this year that forced the USPS to overturn its nearly 100-year-old ban on mailing handguns. Instead of fully complying with the ruling, the Postal Service has now proposed a new rule that creates a category of “unmailable” firearms.
According to GOA, the proposed rule would still block millions of legally owned firearms from being shipped through the mail. The organization argues this approach contradicts both the court decision and the Department of Justice order that followed.
The proposed rule also keeps the Postal Service’s blanket ban on shipping ammunition. FedEx and UPS regularly ship ammunition without issue, but USPS continues to treat it as off-limits.
GOA is urging gun owners to file public comments before the May 4 deadline. By law, the Postal Service must accept and review every comment submitted during the public comment period.
The organization points to past wins as proof the strategy works. A similar grassroots effort helped defeat the proposed green-tip ammunition ban years ago, and GOA believes a flood of comments can do the same here.
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Why It Matters
The Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms. That right does not end at the post office counter. A federal agency should not be allowed to invent new categories of restrictions to work around a court ruling or constitutional protections.
Lawful gun owners ship firearms through the mail for legitimate purposes every day. That includes sending pistols to manufacturers for repair, transferring firearms between licensed dealers, and completing lawful private transactions through proper legal channels.
How to Take Action
Gun owners can submit a public comment through the Gun Owners of America campaign page before the May 4 deadline. The message is straightforward. No lawfully owned firearm or ammunition should be labeled “unmailable” by a federal agency.
The Constitution does not include carveouts for federal agencies. Shall not be infringed means exactly what it says, and that includes the Postal Service.