For the first time in nearly 100 years, handguns could be mailed in the US if a proposed rule under the Trump administration takes effect. The proposal by the US Postal Service (USPS) called the ‘Revised Mailing Standards for Firearms’, recommends that people be allowed to ship unloaded and securely packaged revolvers and other handguns under the same rules that apply to shotguns and long-barreled rifles.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department claimed that a 1927 ban on the practice of mailing handguns was unconstitutional. Back then, Congress passed a law barring USPS from mailing concealable firearms unless they were from licensed dealers in an effort to curb crime.
“The Second Amendment precludes it from refusing to ship constitutionally protected firearms to and from law-abiding citizens, even if they are not licensed manufacturers or dealers,” the department stated.
Subsequently, in April, USPS proposed the new rule, with the public comment period ending on Monday (May 4). USPS spokesperson David Walton told CBS that public comments are being reviewed before further action.
Under the proposed rules, individuals could sell and ship a gun to a person within state lines. However, the rules are tighter for mailing guns across state lines, people could only mail it to themselves in the care of another person and would be required to open it themselves.
Nearly two dozen Democratic attorneys general, a group that has sued the Trump administration repeatedly on topics ranging from tariffs to disaster funding, have called the proposal “unlawful”.
“Our state has suffered enough. And to suggest we make it easier for criminals and abusers to access firearms is a slap in the face to gun violence survivors and law enforcement,” said Nevada’s attorney general, Aaron Ford, in a statement.
Meanwhile, Rob Bonta, the Democratic attorney general of California, called the proposal an “irresponsible loophole” which, he warned, “could open the door for prohibited individuals to obtain weapons without background checks or regard for state firearms laws.”