Easing USPS handgun shipping rules will exacerbate crime, warns Democrat

A House Democrat is scrutinizing the U.S. Postal Service’s plan to make it easier to ship handguns through the mail. 

The postal agency recently issued a proposed rule that would modify mailing standards to align with a January opinion from the Justice Department, which found that a federal prohibition on using USPS to ship “pistols, revolvers and other firearms capable of being concealed on the person” is unconstitutional. 

“The Postal Service defers to [DOJ Office of Legal Counsel’s] judgment as to the lawful scope of this criminal statute and worked in consultation with OLC to develop the proposed revisions to our mailability regulations,” officials wrote in the proposed rule. “The proposed revisions expand the scope of mailable firearms compared to the existing regulations by allowing lawful handguns to be mailed under the same terms and conditions as lawful rifles and shotguns.”

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., in an April 30 letter to Postmaster General David Steiner argued that these reforms will exacerbate crime. 

“[The federal prohibition] has effectively helped reduce illegal handgun trafficking by restricting the conditions under which concealable firearms can be shipped through the Postal Service,” the congressman wrote. “Preventing enforcement of this law would enable criminals to acquire concealable guns more easily, bypassing federal background checks and relevant state firearm laws.” 

He requested that USPS, by May 14, address several questions about enforcement of the modified rules including: 

• What security protocols will be implemented to prevent theft of gun packages. 
• How the agency will comply with state laws that require handgun transfers to go through a federally licensed dealer. 
• What measures will be instituted to deter the mailing of handguns to individuals who are legally prohibited from purchasing or possessing them. 

Frost is a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has jurisdiction over the USPS. Before running for Congress, he was an anti-gun violence activist. 

The deadline to submit comments on the proposal is Monday. USPS will then review the feedback before issuing a final rule that may incorporate suggested changes. 

A USPS spokesperson told Government Executive that the agency would respond directly to Frost’s office about his questions, that officials will evaluate the comments on the proposed rule and that they “have nothing further to offer at this time.”