Mail-a-handgun: The Trump administration is pushing to allow handguns to be delivered by USPS
The Trump administration is forcing the United States Postal Service to allow people to send concealed handguns through the mail after the Justice Department declared a 99-year ban on the practice unconstitutional.
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta calls the proposed mail-a-handgun policy a “dangerous loophole” that threatens to undermine federal gun control laws and allow gun trafficking.
Under a proposed change outlined by the USPS last month, revolvers and other firearms would be reclassified as shippable firearms and subject to the same rules that now apply to long-barreled rifles and handguns — namely that they are shipped loaded and securely packed.
The Golden State is not alone in condemning the policy proposal. This week, Bonta joined a coalition of 22 attorney generals from several Democratic states in sending a letter to the Post outlining their opposition.
“Once again, the Trump Administration is ignoring the safety of the people it is sworn to serve,” Bonta said in a statement. “We cannot ignore the dangerous consequences of this proposed law, which would allow disenfranchised individuals access to firearms without background checks or compliance with federal gun laws.”
The USPS said it will review all public comments before finalizing any policy changes.
Congress banned members of the public from carrying concealed firearms in 1927, but in January the Justice Department issued an opinion upholding a challenge filed by gun rights groups and declaring the federal law unconstitutional.
“As long as Congress chooses to operate a parcel service, the Second Amendment prohibits us from refusing to ship constitutionally protected firearms to or from law-abiding citizens, even if they are not licensed manufacturers or dealers,” the opinion said.
Gun rights advocates praised the proposed change, saying it would make it easier for residents to send in handguns for repairs, shooting sports on vacation and when moving to a new address.
“The Trump Administration is delivering another important victory for law-abiding American gun owners,” John Commerford, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement. “For nearly a century, the United States Postal Service has prohibited firearms from being shipped.”
But Bonta and a coalition of opposing state attorneys say the law banning gun shipments via USPS is legal. They also say that the Department of Justice, which is part of the executive branch of power, does not have the authority to overturn the long-standing law.
They say that by allowing people to ship guns and bypass the need for a licensed dealer, it will be easier for criminals and domestic abusers to illegally obtain these weapons. They also say it will make it harder for law enforcement to track the movement of guns and solve related crimes.
Under the proposed policy change, people are allowed to send a firearm to another person in the same location. If they want to send a gun across state lines, they need to send it in someone else’s custody and open the package themselves.
Opponents of the change say there will be no easy way to ensure that people follow these laws, as well as the various federal gun laws, when shipping easily concealed firearms.
“It is unfair and dangerous to expect postal workers to enforce complex, state and local gun laws,” said Kris Brown, president of the Brady gun violence prevention group, in a statement, “and under this new system, we will undoubtedly see an increase in gun smuggling and theft – putting us all at risk.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
