Traveler's Gun Rights Act: New Residency Rules Allow PO Boxes for Firearm Purchases

The “Traveler’s Gun Rights Act” is changing the definition of what counts as your official “State of residence” under federal law, specifically for rules related to firearms. If you’re a busy person trying to navigate life across state lines, this one is worth a look, especially if you own a firearm or are in the military.

The New Rules of Residence

Basically, this bill updates Title 18 of the U.S. Code, which governs federal crimes and procedures, by making the definition of residency more flexible. For most people, your state of residence is still where you physically live. The big change is for two specific groups: active military and people without a traditional physical address.

If you’re active duty military, you get a choice: your state of residence can be either the state where your permanent military base is located or the state where you actually live and commute from. This flexibility is a practical win, recognizing that military life often requires living far from your official posting. For example, if you’re stationed in Virginia but live just over the state line in Maryland, you can now claim Maryland as your residence for these federal purposes.

Residency via Mailbox

The most significant shift involves people who don't have a traditional physical home address—think digital nomads, long-haul truckers, or those experiencing homelessness. Under this bill, if you don’t have a physical home, your State of residence is defined as the state where you keep a private mailbox or a post office box. This is a clear attempt to ensure that everyone, regardless of housing status, can satisfy the residency requirement needed to complete a background check (NICS) for a firearm purchase. The bill specifically amends the NICS requirements to accept a physical home address or a private mailbox/PO box address as proof of residency for the background check.

Multi-State Living and Potential Loopholes

Here’s where things get complicated. The bill clarifies that if you maintain a home in more than one state, you are considered a resident of every state you are physically present in while maintaining that home there. This means if you have a primary residence in State A and a vacation condo in State B, you are officially a resident of both under this federal definition. This provision aims for clarity but could create administrative headaches for law enforcement trying to track multi-state residents.

The use of a PO box to establish residency is where the policy gets tricky. While it removes a barrier for people without stable housing, it also creates a potential avenue for abuse. An individual living in State X, which has strict gun laws, could theoretically rent a cheap private mailbox in neighboring State Y, which has more permissive laws, and establish residency there for the sole purpose of purchasing a firearm under State Y’s rules. This could put local law enforcement and the entities tasked with verifying these PO box claims in a difficult spot, potentially complicating the enforcement of state-level gun regulations.