USPS Ends 100-Year Ban on Mailing Handguns
The Postal Service will allow citizens to mail handguns for the first time in nearly a century, following a Justice Department ruling that declared the 1927 ban unconstitutional.
For nearly a century, Americans could mail rifles and shotguns through the postal system. They could not send handguns. That changes now.
The United States Postal Service will permit citizens to mail pistols and revolvers, overturning a federal restriction the Department of Justice declared unconstitutional this January. The shift marks a decisive end to a regulation that lawmakers enacted in 1927 to combat gangsters ordering weapons by mail.
The proposed rule, published April 2, would restore a basic freedom for law-abiding gun owners. The public comment period closed May 4. The agency now reviews feedback before finalizing the regulation.
"For nearly a century, the United States Postal Service has arbitrarily blocked handguns from being mailed," said John Commerford, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. "The Trump Administration is delivering another key victory for America's law-abiding gun owners."
The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel reached its conclusion in a 15-page memo. The 1927 ban violates the Second Amendment by blocking citizens from shipping and receiving arms for self-defense, hunting and target shooting. The restriction "serves an illegitimate purpose and is inconsistent with the Nation's tradition of firearm regulation," the memo states.
Safety requirements anchor the new policy. Handguns must travel unloaded and securely packaged according to Domestic Mail Manual guidelines. Shippers must use tracking and signature confirmation. Packages cannot display markings that reveal their contents.
Cross-state shipments carry specific limits. Mailers may send weapons to themselves "in care of" another person at a temporary address, and the recipient must open the package. Intrastate shipments operate under existing state regulations.
The rule creates a striking contrast with private carriers. UPS and FedEx restrict gun shipments to federally licensed dealers only. USPS would allow non-FFL individuals to mail handguns to themselves or to licensed dealers anywhere in the country.
USPS spokesperson David Walton confirmed the timeline in a statement provided to CBS News Thursday. "The rule was proposed on April 2 to conform with the opinion of the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel regarding the constitutionality of Section 1715 of title 18 U.S. Code, which prohibits the mailing of concealable firearms," he said. "The public comment period ended close of business May 4th, and we are reviewing comments."
The policy shift traces back to a Pennsylvania woman named Bonita Shreve. She filed a lawsuit in July 2025 after trying to mail a legally owned handgun to her father. Gun Owners of America and the Gun Owners Foundation backed the case, arguing the century-old ban infringes on constitutional rights.
Opposition mounted quickly. Democratic attorneys general from 22 states submitted comments before the May 4 deadline, warning of potential risks.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the rule irresponsible. "Once again, the Trump Administration is recklessly disregarding the safety of the people it is sworn to serve," Bonta said. "We cannot ignore the dangerous consequences of this proposed rule, which could open the door for prohibited individuals to obtain weapons without background checks or regard for state firearms laws."
Gun control advocates expressed similar concerns. Everytown for Gun Safety president John Feinblatt claims the change would turn USPS into a "gun trafficking pipeline."
The proposed safeguards directly contradict those warnings. Requirements for secure packaging, unmarked containers and signature-confirmed tracking structurally prevent the unmonitored shipments that would facilitate trafficking.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport argued the rule "threatens the rule of law and public safety." She claimed it would make it harder for law enforcement to solve gun crimes.
The 1927 Mailing of Firearms Act stands as Congress' first direct federal gun regulation. Lawmakers enacted it amid concerns about gangsters using mail-order weapons. The statute banned mailing "pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed on the person," punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and two years imprisonment.
The Justice Department memo notes the statute ultimately aims to suppress traffic in constitutionally protected articles. It renders the ban "per se unconstitutional" for those firearms. The executive branch now declines to prosecute violations involving protected firearms.
"Thanks to President Trump and his administration, USPS will finally allow these firearms to be shipped under the same commonsense safety conditions as rifles and shotguns," Commerford said.
The rule aligns federal postal policy with constitutional protections. It corrects a 1927 restriction that private carriers no longer enforce. Law-abiding citizens can now transport arms for lawful purposes without arbitrary government interference.