Will the USPS Allow Handguns to Be Mailed?

[Sedalia Dave]

Will the USPS Allow Handguns to Be Mailed?

 

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on April 2, 2026, published a proposed rule that would permit the mailing of lawful handguns through the U.S. mail for the first time in nearly a century. The change aligns Postal Service regulations with a January 2026 Department of Justice (DOJ) opinion declaring the longstanding federal ban on mailing “concealable firearms” unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.

 

The proposal, detailed in the Federal Register, revises standards in USPS Publication 52 (Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail). It expands “mailable firearms” to include pistols, revolvers, and other handguns—previously classified as nonmailable—under the same conditions already applied to rifles and shotguns. Firearms must be unloaded, securely packaged according to “Domestic Mail Manual” guidelines, and bear no external markings indicating the contents. Most shipments require USPS tracking and signature confirmation at delivery. Mailers must also comply with the Gun Control Act of 1968, state and local laws, and all other federal regulations.

[Sedalia Dave]

How to send comments

 

Mail or deliver written comments to the Director, Product Classification, U.S. Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446, Washington, DC 20260-5015.

If sending comments by email, include the name and address of the commenter and send to 

PCFederalRegister@usps.gov

 

with a subject line of

“Shipping Firearms.”

 

Faxed comments will not be accepted.

[Blackwater 53393]

I did this earlier today! Already received confirmation of receipt!!

[Rye Miles #13621]

Sent an email, waiting for a response.

[Blackwater 53393]

This thread should NOT  be ignored!! For 99 years, the public has been wrongfully prohibited from using the mail to carry out a perfectly legal business practice!

 

It has been completely legal to ship a long gun to or from a licensed gun dealer or repair facility for all these years, but to ship your Ruger Vaquero to a gunsmith or get it back, you had to go through a private shipper and you either had to have the item shipped by a licensed dealer/gunsmith or you had to get them to send you the shipping label and documentation!

 

The Postal Service has been instructed to reevaluate the system and correct the issue and it is deciding whether and what it will do!

 

Take a minute to email your comment!  It’s important!!

[Blackwater 53393]

I’ve noticed a number of replies on the corresponding post in the Tram SASS forum stating that they have sent an email and received an acknowledgment!

 

Y’all keep at it! This needs to be fixed!!

[Eyesa Horg]

Mine was sent and responded to.

[sassnetguy50]

Thanks for posting

[Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439]

On 4/7/2026 at 11:37 AM, Sedalia Dave said:

Will the USPS Allow Handguns to Be Mailed?

 

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on April 2, 2026, published a proposed rule that would permit the mailing of lawful handguns through the U.S. mail for the first time in nearly a century. The change aligns Postal Service regulations with a January 2026 Department of Justice (DOJ) opinion declaring the longstanding federal ban on mailing “concealable firearms” unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.

 

The proposal, detailed in the Federal Register, revises standards in USPS Publication 52 (Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail). It expands “mailable firearms” to include pistols, revolvers, and other handguns—previously classified as nonmailable—under the same conditions already applied to rifles and shotguns. Firearms must be unloaded, securely packaged according to “Domestic Mail Manual” guidelines, and bear no external markings indicating the contents. Most shipments require USPS tracking and signature confirmation at delivery. Mailers must also comply with the Gun Control Act of 1968, state and local laws, and all other federal regulations.

DONT DO IT!!  USPS LOSES FIREARMS AND OFFERS NO EXCUSES, NOT SURE IF THAT INCLUDES INSURED SHIPMENTS. I STILL HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT A CIMMARON 1887 I BOUGHT FROM A PARD ON THE CLASSIFIEDS BACK IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR!!  

[Sarge]

Why would you take a chance with USPS?  Over the past 12 months, they've misplaced, delayed or stolen 100% of the packages that have been shipped to me or that I've tried shipping.  I no longer use them unless there is no other alternative.

[Blackwater 53393]

17 minutes ago, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said:

DONT DO IT!!  USPS LOSES FIREARMS AND OFFERS NO EXCUSES, NOT SURE IF THAT INCLUDES INSURED SHIPMENTS. I STILL HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT A CIMMARON 1887 I BOUGHT FROM A PARD ON THE CLASSIFIEDS BACK IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR!!  

 

 

Just now, Sarge said:

Why would you take a chance with USPS?  Over the past 12 months, they've misplaced, delayed or stolen 100% of the packages that have been shipped to me or that I've tried shipping.  I no longer use them unless there is no other alternative.

 

This has to do with changing an illegitimate law created by government overreach!

 

I have had packages lost or delayed and have said so here! In each case, the package was found or the loss covered.  Part of that success has been due to my having followed all the rules and regulations and the rest was because of my own persistence in going through the process.

 

Still! This is not about the performance or lack thereof of the Postal Service!! 
 

THIS IS ABOUT RESTORING A PART OF OUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS THAT WAS WRONGFULLY DENIED TO US!!

 

 

 

 

[Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439]

5 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

 

 

 

This has to do with changing an illegitimate law created by government overreach!

 

I have had packages lost or delayed and have said so here! In each case, the package was found or the loss covered.  Part of that success has been due to my having followed all the rules and regulations and the rest was because of my own persistence in going through the process.

 

Still! This is not about the performance or lack thereof of the Postal Service!! 
 

THIS IS ABOUT RESTORING A PART OF OUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS THAT WAS WRONGFULLY DENIED TO US!!

 

 

 

 

Both the seller and I went thru all the processes outlined by the USPS filing a claim number and continued for over a month calling every few days asking if it had been found at the OPA LOCKA distribution center. The excuse we both got was that they were checking all the containers and that sometimes the package remains in one and is shipped back out. The issue was that the FFL didn’t insured the package!!  I believe he filed a complaint with the Postmaster General. I got tired of the ladies in their customer service not being able to get “intelligent” responses from the employers on the distribution floor. I am sure it was stolen by an employee. 

[Blackwater 53393]

7 minutes ago, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said:

Both the seller and I went thru all the processes outlined by the USPS filing a claim number and continued for over a month calling every few days asking if it had been found at the OPA LOCKA distribution center. The excuse we both got was that they were checking all the containers and that sometimes the package remains in one and is shipped back out. The issue was that the FFL didn’t insured the package!!  I believe he filed a complaint with the Postmaster General. I got tired of the ladies in their customer service not being able to get “intelligent” responses from the employers on the distribution floor. I am sure it was stolen by an employee. 

But none of that has ANYTHING to do with changing a bad law!!! 🤨

 

To reply to your comment, I always request insurance equal to or greater than the value of the item shipped!  I do the same with the other shipping companies too!!

[Sarge]

1 hour ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

 

 

 

This has to do with changing an illegitimate law created by government overreach!

 

I have had packages lost or delayed and have said so here! In each case, the package was found or the loss covered.  Part of that success has been due to my having followed all the rules and regulations and the rest was because of my own persistence in going through the process.

 

Still! This is not about the performance or lack thereof of the Postal Service!! 
 

THIS IS ABOUT RESTORING A PART OF OUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS THAT WAS WRONGFULLY DENIED TO US!!

 

 

 

 

I have been through the recovery process many times.  Have even had to get the Postal Office of the Inspector General involved.  Surprising how something lost for 6 months can get recovered and delivered within 24 hours when the Inspector General gets involved.  I take a bit different look at it.  When something is so broke it can no longer be fixed, you let it die.  Then you rebuild it better.  The USPS needs to go under.  If laws get changed, then they have a reason to ask for more money to keep going.  

[Blackwater 53393]

2 minutes ago, Sarge said:

When something is so broke it can no longer be fixed, you let it die.  Then you rebuild it better.  The USPS needs to go under.  If laws get changed, then they have a reason to ask for more money to keep going.  

If those laws go unchallenged and unchanged, they become precedent for those who seek to limit our civil rights!! This makes it more difficult to win other changes when other unconstitutional laws are challenged!

[Boggus Deal #64218]

They all have bad employees. And good employees. The only time I’ve needed to file a claim with USPS I had a check in less than a week. Completely startled me.

[Sedalia Dave]

2 hours ago, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said:

DONT DO IT!!  USPS LOSES FIREARMS AND OFFERS NO EXCUSES, NOT SURE IF THAT INCLUDES INSURED SHIPMENTS. I STILL HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT A CIMMARON 1887 I BOUGHT FROM A PARD ON THE CLASSIFIEDS BACK IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR!!  

 

2 hours ago, Sarge said:

Why would you take a chance with USPS?  Over the past 12 months, they've misplaced, delayed or stolen 100% of the packages that have been shipped to me or that I've tried shipping.  I no longer use them unless there is no other alternative.

 

Have either of you contacted the BATF? 

[Sarge]

9 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

 

Have either of you contacted the BATF? 

Yes, they referred me to the Office of Inspector General for the Post Office.  That was the case that was resolved in 24 hours after the item had been missing for 6 months.  The OIG confirmed that two of the items that were missing (non-forearm related) were stolen and the packaging found opened at a USPS facility.  This recently made the news locally.  Automatic machine gun last seen at Detroit USPS before getting lost in the mail | FOX 2 Detroit

Edited April 9 by Sarge
New Info.

[Blackwater 53393]

That’s really no different than what has happened with the other shippers in the last few years!

 

 They all have lost shipments, stolen or misplaced by employees and by people who know the system.

 

I hate it for you, but that doesn’t alter the fact that this law needs to change and this is our opportunity to influence that change!

[Sarge]

1 minute ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

That’s really no different than what has happened with the other shippers in the last few years!

 

 They all have lost shipments, stolen or misplaced by employees and by people who know the system.

 

I hate it for you, but that doesn’t alter the fact that this law needs to change and this is our opportunity to influence that change!

Does it happen with other shippers.  Yep.  I'm sure it does.  I can only tell you my experiences. Every single transaction involving a package, that I've had with USPS for the past several years has had an issue.  Have also had issues with every single Certified or insured non package has had an issue. Haven't had an issue with a UPS item in 10 years, and don't ever remember an issue with a FedEx package.  

[Blackwater 53393]

33 minutes ago, Sarge said:

Does it happen with other shippers.  Yep.  I'm sure it does.  I can only tell you my experiences. Every single transaction involving a package, that I've had with USPS for the past several years has had an issue.  Have also had issues with every single Certified or insured non package has had an issue. Haven't had an issue with a UPS item in 10 years, and don't ever remember an issue with a FedEx package.  

None of that changes the fact that we need to get this law and the related restrictions removed!  
 

Think of it as getting back at the Postal Service and it’s employees for messing up your shipments!🙄

[Blackwater 53393]

I’m taking this back to the front page in the hopes that more of you will send the requested email to the Postal Service comment section!

[Boggus Deal #64218]

26 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

I’m taking this back to the front page in the hopes that more of you will send the requested email to the Postal Service comment section!

Sent mine and got a response.

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

As an FFL dealer; I ship handguns via USPS all the time.

 

Just shipped a very nice Smith & Wesson 3" mdl. 36 to Wichita Kansas yesterday.

Flat rate priority mail - fully insured with adult signature required.

 

USPS is by far the most economical method of shipping; And NOT once have I had a package lost or waylaid by bandits.

 

"If" somehow 100% of all packages shipped via the Post Office by a single user were being lost...

I might just begin by examining if this user was perhaps doing something incorrectly.

[Blackwater 53393]

Creeker! I agree wholeheartedly! I just think that if it’s good enough for FFLs, it should be allowed for everyone else without having to jump through hoops!!

 

There are a number of incongruancies in Postal Service regulations, many having to do with hazmat, but why can’t I ship my unloaded and securely packed Blackhawk by mail when I CAN ship my AK47 this way??

 

This rule has been found to be unconstitutional in federal court and said to be so by USDOJ!  It’s time to step up and tell the Postal Service that they’re wrong and that they must fix this issue!!

 

Please! Take a couple of minutes and email the Postal Service at the address provided in the second post in this thread and tell them to get it right!!

 

I’ll post that email address again here!

 

PCFederalRegister@usps.gov

 

 

 

 

Edited April 12 by Blackwater 53393

[John Kloehr]

1 hour ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

... This rule has been found to be unconstitutional in federal court and said to be so by USDOJ!  It’s time to step up and tell the Postal Service that they’re wrong and that they must fix this issue!!

Got a citation? I have been following Shreve v USPS:

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70794384/shreve-v-united-states-postal-service/

 

Now 9 months in, nowhere close to a ruling. The DOJ did make positive filings in this case and there is a letter from the DOJ to USPS giving an opinion the rule is unconstitutional. I have not found a court ruling on it.

[Blackwater 53393]

24 minutes ago, John Kloehr said:

Got a citation? I have been following Shreve v USPS:

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70794384/shreve-v-united-states-postal-service/

 

Now 9 months in, nowhere close to a ruling. The DOJ did make positive filings in this case and there is a letter from the DOJ to USPS giving an opinion the rule is unconstitutional. I have not found a court ruling on it.

I may have been misinformed. I had heard that there was a ruling.

[John Kloehr]

33 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

I may have been misinformed. I had heard that there was a ruling.

Might also be one of the other cases, there are several and I do not have  complete list.

 

You might also be thinking of the post office carry case. There was a ruling in the 5th, and applies to members of the institutional plaintiffs in the 5th. No national policy change as yet.

[Sedalia Dave]

On 4/11/2026 at 1:15 AM, Creeker, SASS #43022 said:

As an FFL dealer; I ship handguns via USPS all the time.

 

Just shipped a very nice Smith & Wesson 3" mdl. 36 to Wichita Kansas yesterday.

Flat rate priority mail - fully insured with adult signature required.

 

USPS is by far the most economical method of shipping; And NOT once have I had a package lost or waylaid by bandits.

 

"If" somehow 100% of all packages shipped via the Post Office by a single user were being lost...

I might just begin by examining if this user was perhaps doing something incorrectly.

 

They busted a ring of USPS employees at one of the DFW area hubs a couple years ago.  They figured a way to flag packages that were going to/from certain FFLs so they could intercept them.

[Blackwater 53393]

1 hour ago, John Kloehr said:

Might also be one of the other cases, there are several and I do not have  complete list.

 

You might also be thinking of the post office carry case. There was a ruling in the 5th, and applies to members of the institutional plaintiffs in the 5th. No national policy change as yet.

I’ve noticed that the three Post Offices that I visit frequently HAVE taken down their placards that prohibit carry!  Perhaps the 5th ruling has caused a ripple effect, because Tennessee isn’t in the 5th Federal Judicial District.

[Dapper Dave]

I sent out a tool to a pard the other day through our local PO, (which is actually quite well run, 100% difference from the one in the town I left 5 years ago.) and I asked her first about the proposed rule to ship handguns - she had no clue. She stopped and looked it up on her phone right then and there, and exclaimed, "it's only a proposed rule"...I know, but shouldn't you guys know about it? BTW, most of our local PO employees seem to have working brains.

THEN I really blew her mind and asked if she knew the nationwide injunction that allows Firearm Policy Coalition members to carry firearms in US Post offices. She had no idea, and while we were talking, the "No Guns" sign was about two feet to my right. 

I explained that one to her and where to look and showed her my ID card, so she knew what an FPC ID card looks like.  There are no names or dates on the card, BTW.

Now, why would we ship through Post Offices? When UPS and FedEx both tell normal civilians they cannot ship, then what is left? The last time I had to ship a firearm was my shotgun to Ken Griner, and the FFL I used charged me up the wazoo...to send it by USPS. 
Personally, I'd rather UPS for shipping of dang near anything, and yes, I am familiar with the stolen UZI, the guy has a nice long thread about it on Arf. 

[Blackwater 53393]

7 minutes ago, Dapper Dave said:

I sent out a tool to a pard the other day through our local PO, (which is actually quite well run, 100% difference from the one in the town I left 5 years ago.) and I asked her first about the proposed rule to ship handguns - she had no clue. She stopped and looked it up on her phone right then and there, and exclaimed, "it's only a proposed rule"...I know, but shouldn't you guys know about it? BTW, most of our local PO employees seem to have working brains.

THEN I really blew her mind and asked if she knew the nationwide injunction that allows Firearm Policy Coalition members to carry firearms in US Post offices. She had no idea, and while we were talking, the "No Guns" sign was about two feet to my right. 

I explained that one to her and where to look and showed her my ID card, so she knew what an FPC ID card looks like.  There are no names or dates on the card, BTW.

Now, why would we ship through Post Offices? When UPS and FedEx both tell normal civilians they cannot ship, then what is left? The last time I had to ship a firearm was my shotgun to Ken Griner, and the FFL I used charged me up the wazoo...to send it by USPS. 
Personally, I'd rather UPS for shipping of dang near anything, and yes, I am familiar with the stolen UZI, the guy has a nice long thread about it on Arf. 

AGAIN! None of that changes the fact that the rule and the law need to be changed!

 

In the time it took you to compose your post, you could have easily sent the requested email!! 😜

 

[Dapper Dave]

Sir, you failed twice in your answer to me.

One - I agree with the premise of repealing such laws, which can lead to repealing similar unconstitutional statutes, for instance, I support GOA and FPC financially in their campaign to overturn NFA 34, or at least the parts rendered moot by the BBB. 

Second, - you did not ask me if I had, indeed, contacted USPS about the proposed regulation, which is done. I was pointing out the trickle down of information to the local post office was lacking. 

Having stated this, I will back out of this thread and wish everyone an excellent day in freedom. 

 

[John Kloehr]

2 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

I’ve noticed that the three Post Offices that I visit frequently HAVE taken down their placards that prohibit carry!  Perhaps the 5th ruling has caused a ripple effect, because Tennessee isn’t in the 5th Federal Judicial District.

I have never seen the placard at any post office. I do see the notice (small door sticker) that armed robbery is a felony. They are supposed to have Poster 158:

 

 

I have never seen one of these posters. Note it is not the same as any particular state's signage. I have seen this (in red) and a another with the same message:

 

Edited Sunday at 08:15 PM by John Kloehr

[Blackwater 53393]

No red signs in the windows here!