The U.S. Postal Service could soon allow handguns to be mailed for the first time in nearly a century if a proposed rule under the Trump administration is approved, with opponents of the bill calling it a potential “gun trafficking pipeline.”
Since 1927, Congress has banned the USPS from mailing concealable firearms unless they were sent from licensed dealers. But in a January memo, the Department of Justice revisited the law, saying it was unconstitutional and arguing it violated the Second Amendment.
“Consequently, so long as Congress chooses to run a parcel service, 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 DOJ’s memo said.
Following that memo, the USPS proposed a new rule in April that would allow people to mail firearms like pistols and revolvers. According to the USPS rulebook, people can currently mail long-barreled rifles and shotguns only if they are unloaded and securely packaged.
According to the proposed rule change, those similar protections would be in place for handguns. In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, the USPS said it was reviewing comments it received during its public comment period, which ended May 4.
