USPS proposal would allow handguns to be sent through the mail for the first time since 1927

Key Points:

• The Trump administration proposed a rule allowing handguns to be mailed through the U.S. Postal Service for the first time since 1927, challenging a nearly century-old law that barred mailing concealable firearms except from licensed dealers.
• The Department of Justice argued the 1927 law is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment and urged USPS to revise its regulations to permit mailing handguns with safety measures similar to those for long guns.
• Democratic attorneys general from around two dozen states opposed the rule, warning it would undermine state gun control laws, increase access to firearms by prohibited individuals, and complicate law enforcement efforts to track gun crimes.
• USPS is reviewing public comments on the proposed rule, which would allow in-state handgun shipments between private parties but restrict out-of-state shipments to personal use, aiming to facilitate lawful firearm transportation for recreation and self-defense.
• Gun rights groups praised the proposal as a victory for lawful gun owners, while gun safety advocates criticized it for potentially enabling illegal gun trafficking and weakening crime prevention tools.