New Act Strips USPS of Oversight, Allowing Concealable Firearms to Be Mailed Nationally

This legislation, titled the “Protecting the Mailing of Firearms Act,” is straightforward and has two major effects: it completely eliminates the federal ban on mailing concealable firearms, and it severely limits the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) ability to regulate those shipments. Essentially, Section 1715 of Title 18—the law that prohibited sending certain small guns through the mail—is gone. The bill also makes it clear that the Postmaster General cannot create any rule that would stop or even “seriously slow down” the shipment of firearms, ammunition, or their component parts through the mail system.

The End of the Mail Ban

For decades, the federal government placed restrictions on what kind of firearms could be sent via USPS, generally requiring handguns to be shipped through private carriers like FedEx or UPS. This bill changes that immediately by repealing the old law (SEC. 2). This means that concealable firearms can now be mailed directly through the national mail system, just like any other package. If you’re a licensed dealer or manufacturer, this likely cuts down on your shipping costs and potentially simplifies your logistics, as you no longer have to differentiate between carriers based on the type of firearm. The bill also applies this repeal retroactively, meaning any pending legal cases based on the old mailing restriction are effectively tossed out.

Stripping the USPS of Control

The second part of the bill (SEC. 3) focuses on handcuffing the USPS when it comes to oversight. The Postmaster General is explicitly forbidden from setting rules that could “seriously slow down” the mailing of guns or ammo. For everyday people, this means the USPS cannot mandate extra security steps or specialized handling procedures that might delay delivery. While this ensures quick delivery, it also prevents the USPS from implementing specific safety protocols that might be deemed necessary for high-risk items being moved through the general mail stream, potentially affecting the safety protocols used in sorting facilities and delivery routes.

No Records, No Serial Numbers

Perhaps the most significant provision for law enforcement and tracking is the ban on requiring disclosure. The USPS is blocked from demanding that Federal firearms licensees or ammunition sellers hand over sensitive records as a condition of mailing. This includes sales receipts, transaction records, and, crucially, the serial number of the firearm or component being shipped (SEC. 3). If law enforcement or the USPS needed to track a suspicious shipment or investigate a diversion, they would be unable to rely on the USPS to collect this basic identifying information. This lack of mandated record-keeping at the point of mailing could make it significantly harder to trace the source of firearms diverted into illegal channels, placing a heavier burden on other tracking methods.