Rep. Haley Stevens moves to stop new USPS handgun mailing rule
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) has introduced new legislation to block a pending U.S. Postal Service rule that would, for the first time in nearly a century, open the door for private handgun shipments through the mail.
The Postal Service’s proposed rule, “Revised Mailing Standards for Firearms,” published in the Federal Register on April 2, 2026, would loosen long‑standing limits on who can send handguns through the mail.
USPS already allows certain long guns, like rifles and shotguns, to be mailed if they are unloaded and securely packaged, but handguns are effectively barred to private individuals under current law.
The new standards would allow non‑licensed gun owners to mail handguns, generally within the same state, without going through a federally licensed firearms dealer for shipping or transfer.
Packages would still have to follow postal requirements.
In 1927, Congress enacted 18 U.S.C. § 1715, a law that bars the Postal Service from mailing “concealable” firearms such as pistols, revolvers, and short‑barreled rifles and shotguns, with narrow exceptions for law enforcement, the military, manufacturers, and licensed dealers.
Violations can carry up to two years in prison and fines, and the statute has been a cornerstone of federal firearms shipping rules for nearly a century.
In January 2026, the Department of Justice issued a legal opinion revisiting that 1927 statute, concluding that the ban on mailing handguns is unconstitutional as applied to certain firearms and violates the Second Amendment.
DOJ argued that, because state gun laws form a “patchwork” across the country, the mailing ban makes it harder for lawful owners to transport guns between states for activities such as hunting, target shooting, and self‑defense.
Following that opinion, DOJ told USPS it would no longer defend the 1927 law in court and directed the Postal Service to update its regulations to align with the new constitutional analysis.
USPS responded by proposing the April rule that would expand handgun mailing access for private individuals, triggering a fresh national fight over guns and public safety.
Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, unveiled the “Keep Illegal Handguns Out of the Mail Act” on May 22, joined by Reps. Mike Thompson and Jill Tokuda as original co‑sponsors.
Stevens framed the bill as a direct response to what she calls a “dangerous” rollback of a “sensible 99‑year‑old law” that has kept handguns out of the postal system.
Her legislation would bar USPS from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the “Revised Mailing Standards for Firearms” rule, and it would block any substantially similar rule from being reissued under a new name or with cosmetic changes.
Stevens and her allies argue that allowing handguns in the mail would create “unnecessary risks” for postal workers, law enforcement, and families, and could open a “dangerous pipeline” for illegal gun trafficking.
They also warn that unsupervised handgun shipments could help people evade state background‑check rules by moving weapons between private parties with no dealer in the loop and no permanent transfer record.
The bill preserves 18 U.S.C. § 1715 as the governing federal standard for handgun mailing restrictions. The bill now waits for formal committee action in the U.S. House.
