Gun Rights Groups Sue USPS Over Prohibition of Mailing Handguns is the title of a new legal battle launched by Second Amendment advocates who argue that current postal regulations unconstitutionally restrict firearm rights. The lawsuit, filed by Gun Owners of America (GOA), Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), and a private citizen, challenges a 1927 federal law that prohibits private individuals from mailing handguns through the United States Postal Service (USPS). However, this same restriction doesn’t apply to businesses or government agencies, which gun rights supporters argue is discriminatory and inconsistent with the Constitution.
USPS Policy Deemed Outdated and Biased
Gun rights advocates are challenging the nearly century-old law on the grounds that it contradicts America’s historical approach to gun regulation. They argue that at the time of the Founding Fathers, firearm access and ownership were broadly protected—without preferential treatment based on employment or institutional affiliation.
Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of GOA, emphasized the fundamental unfairness of the current USPS policy. “This complaint demonstrates that the federal government’s Prohibition-era ban on mailing handguns violates the Second Amendment,” he said. “GOA is proud to stand with its members and supporters to ensure that their constitutional rights are protected, and we are committed to ending all anti-gun ‘rules for me, but not for thee,’ in any form they may take.”
The complaint highlights the obvious double standard: ordinary Americans are prohibited from doing something—mailing handguns—that federal agencies and businesses are allowed to do daily. Critics argue this discrepancy sends the message that the Second Amendment applies selectively, which goes against the principle of equal protection under the law.
An Obsolete Law From a Bygone Era
Sam Paredes of the Gun Owners Foundation called the restriction a remnant of outdated government thinking. “This law was passed in a different time,” Paredes said. “Our complaint makes clear that every day this ban remains in effect, it infringes on the rights of law-abiding Americans who are fully entitled to exercise all of their Second Amendment freedoms.”
According to Paredes, the law is more than just inconvenient—it’s unconstitutional. It places regular citizens at risk of serious legal consequences, including felony charges, for simply trying to exercise their rights. GOF and GOA contend that in today’s context—where handguns are lawfully owned by millions of Americans for self-defense, sport, and collection—there’s no justifiable reason for such a ban to remain on the books.
Further underscoring their argument, the groups point to the availability of alternative shipping methods. Individuals can legally ship handguns via private carriers like FedEx and UPS, provided they follow certain policies and procedures. If it’s acceptable for these private companies to handle handgun shipments under regulated conditions, gun rights advocates argue, there’s no reason the USPS shouldn’t do the same.
The Battle Over Second-Class Rights
This legal challenge is part of a broader national movement to strike down laws perceived as infringing on Second Amendment rights. The lawsuit against the USPS reflects a growing frustration among gun owners and rights organizations who believe that the federal government imposes arbitrary limitations on constitutional freedoms.
The case also touches on concerns about equal treatment. “Why should a government agency or licensed business be trusted to handle a firearm shipment, but not a responsible individual who has complied with state and federal laws?” asked one supporter of the lawsuit. “Either the right to keep and bear arms applies to everyone, or it doesn’t.”
If successful, this lawsuit could reshape how firearms are legally transported across the country. More importantly, it would affirm that the Constitution does not grant rights based on job title or government status.
Gun rights advocates are determined to see the 1927 USPS handgun shipping prohibition overturned. And with this lawsuit, they’ve drawn a clear line in the sand: the Second Amendment is not a privilege. It’s a right—for everyone.
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