For the first time in nearly 100 years, handguns could be mailed through the United States Postal Service.
If a proposed rule under the Trump administration receives approval, Americans will be able to mail concealable guns, like pistols and revolvers, to anyone in the country, according to The Hill.
The USPS filed the rule after the Justice Department deemed a 1927 law barring the USPS from mailing concealable firearms unless they were from licensed dealers to be constitutional, arguing that it violated the Second Amendment.
USPS is considering allowing people to ship handguns through the mail, AP reports.
This would be the first time in nearly 100 years if a proposed Trump rule takes effect.
The DOJ argues that this rule would ultimately be protected by the Second Amendment.
The USPS says it is… pic.twitter.com/Fl90XoEkoV
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) May 7, 2026
The DOJ said that as 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 NRA called the proposed rule change a “monumental development for gun owners,” saying the USPS handgun prohibition “continues to create massive and needless headaches for law-abiding gun owners.”
More from NRA-ILA:
Handgun owners cannot use the U.S. mail to ship their firearms to themselves, say during a move or for a hunting trip or competition. Astute gun owners will be aware of the potential perils of lawfully traveling through certain parts of the country with a legally-owned firearm, despite the federal protections provided by the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act – making mailing a firearm preferable in many instances. Moreover, handgun owners cannot use the U.S. Post to ship their firearm directly to a manufacturer or gunsmith for modification or repair.
As for retail sales, the Gun Control Act of 1968 requires customers purchasing firearms at retail to obtain all firearms through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL or gun dealer) in their state.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is opposing the rule change — the state experienced the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history in 2017, when a gunman killed 60 people while firing from the Mandalay Bay casino hotel in Las Vegas.
“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 the Democrat who is running for governor.
John Feinblatt, president of the gun-grabbing Everytown for Gun Safety, told the Associated Press the proposed rule would turn the USPS into a “gun trafficking pipeline” for illegal weapons, while stripping law enforcement of the tools they need to prevent and investigate gun crime.”
Of course, in the eyes of social media users, the USPS’s dismal performance record may be the biggest detriment to mailing guns.
Here’s a sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:
No one would be stupid enough to send a gun through the USPS…
Their tracking system is pathetic and never accurate
Plus with the employees stealing packages …
I won’t ship anything through them…nothing
— Trump #45 #47🇺🇸 (@DrMarkStano) May 7, 2026
It wouldn’t be a problem if USPS was more reliable. I no longer ship or receive anything of value by USPS. My daughter received mail from my mother 3 years after my mother died. No one piece but several over time.
— Steve DeLange (@sedelange) May 8, 2026
I have SERIOUS CONCERNS with letting the USPS manage this task. The USPS in my area cant even get the letter mail into the correct mail box, if the Postman even shows up!!!!!!
— Cindy (@Cindy724480505) May 7, 2026
It’s like putting cash in a card and sending it through the post office, don’t trust it! Imagine how many would go “missing” as lost mail.
— megourd1967 (@megourd1967) May 7, 2026
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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