Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) have teamed up with Pennsylvania resident Bonita Shreve to take on a dusty old law that’s still trampling gun rights in 2025.
In a new federal lawsuit, the group is challenging the nearly century-old ban on mailing handguns through the U.S. Postal Service — a ban they say has no basis in the Constitution or American history.
Since 1927, everyday citizens have been barred from shipping handguns through USPS. Meanwhile, the government and big-name businesses? They get a pass.
GOA says this is a classic case of “rules for me, not for thee” — and they’ve had enough.
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“This complaint demonstrates that the federal government’s Prohibition-era ban on mailing handguns violates the Second Amendment,” said Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior VP. “We are committed to ending all anti-gun ‘rules for me, but not for thee,’ in any form they may take.”
The complaint argues the ban is “inconsistent with Founding-era historical tradition,” which is the new legal standard under Bruen. And GOA’s making it clear — this law is not just outdated, it’s discriminatory and unconstitutional.
Sam Paredes, speaking for the GOF board, added,
“This law was passed in a different time… In America, using the Postal Service to mail handguns to other law-abiding individuals should not be a felony.”
The lawsuit not only takes aim at the USPS policy but at the idea that the government can continue to apply different rules to itself than to citizens — especially when it comes to a right as fundamental as self-defense.
Stay tuned. If GOA succeeds, the mailbox might finally be open to the “quintessential self-defense weapon.”
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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I need clarification on shipping handguns through the USPS. The article states, “since 1927, everyday citizens have been barred from shipping handguns through USPS.” And later, “the lawsuit not only takes aim at the USPS policy…” A policy does not have the same status as a law. I cannot find any details on the 1927 restriction on shipping handguns. This isd what I found.
To ship firearms via USPS, follow these guidelines:
Regulated Firearms: All regulated firearms must be mailed using a USPS product that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
Federal Firearms License (FFL): You can only ship firearms to someone who holds a valid Federal Firearms License (FFL).
Shipping Restrictions: Private citizens generally cannot ship handguns to themselves through USPS; instead, they must ship to an FFL dealer in the destination state.
Requirements for Dealers: Individuals who sell, manufacture, import, or repair firearms must hold a Federal Firearms License.
Compliance with Laws: Ensure compliance with all federal laws and postal regulations when shipping firearms.
For more detailed information, refer to the official USPS guidelines and regulations.
And the next lawsuit should be about local newspapers forbidding the listing of guns for sale in the classified secttions.
I hope you win your suit. You are on target. Here in Alaska, that change would help a lot for travelers stuck taking the path across state lines. You can’t transport handguns through Canada. So going either direction, this change would help.
I also don’t know why you are prohibited from buying a handgun in states other than the one you’re a resident of? The check on your background is exactly the same for a long gun or a handgun. So why discriminate against the law abiding citizen?
Sorry boys and girls… but if we’re talking civilian shipments… I don’t have a problem with private individuals not being able to send guns through the mail. They should all have to go from gun shop to gun shop. And in all honesty… I wouldn’t want the USPS to handle something as delicate as a firearm. They have enough trouble getting a letter through and you want them to handle your guns? With the uneducated thieves they have working for them? The same people who were busted throwing election ballots in dumpsters, you want them to handle your guns?
I see at least 3 with problems with your point of view that should be considered. The first is that most FFL’s do NOT want to become a low-level shipping hub, as that might cause profit margins and workflow to jeopardize their business. The second problem is that all forms of shipping used to deliver firearms to FFL’s are facing the same challenges, of course, the higher the rate the better the service. The third problem is that governments, including the US government, have NOT proven worthy of trust. Just look at how Barry Soetoro broke national and inter-national law while he illegally allowed firearms to the cross the US border into the sovereign state of Mexico. Or how the fake POTUS #47 (genuine POS) abandoned $7 billion dollars of weapons in Afghanistan, governments are largest reckless gun runners in the world. Yes, I would NOT trust the USPS for many reasons, including what you had mentioned, but private individuals shipping to FFL’s seem the least of my concerns.
It would be nice to see this law struck down.
As a former FFL, I always wondered why this law was in place to begin with. A private individual (non-FFL) should have the right to ship a long or short gun any where in the USA via the USPS to an FFL for a private individual to pick up after completely proper paper work, as usual. The USPS is a federal entity, therefore should follow all federal rules, laws, regulations – and the 2nd amendment.
Direct person to person shipping will never happen, and shouldn’t, too many variables, in my opinion. But forcing people to use FedEx and UPS with their ridiculously high pricing is wrong and unfair.
In many cases, Fedex and UPS give regular people a hard time shipping guns ! And it is still not illegal to ship one to yourself in care of another person, or ship one to another person in the same state ! It is only illegal to ship one to another person in another state..
Years ago, I ordered some Black Powder guns from Dixie Gun Works, and they were delivered to my home by the USPS at a great price. At the time, and more so now, I could NOT believe how well that turned out. That was 20 or 30 years ago, and the screws have tightened up since then. Now state law considers BP a firearm, regardless of the federal law, and a 4473 is required by the state. Maybe Dixie Gun Works just really liked me and waved all those silly laws back then that I was unclear about. Maybe more state laws have been passed over the 20 or 30 years since.
On occasion, it has been suggested to me by gunsmiths to send a firearm through the mail for various reasons. It’s a federal crime to CC anywhere on USPS property, so I cannot bring myself to carry a box with a firearm up to counter at the PO. It’s scary to just throw caution to the wind and disclose to the often-rude teller that I have a valuable firearm in the box and want the PO to send this box out for a while and later return the box to me with the same firearm enclosed. Best case scenario, I somehow walk away from this transaction intact but it’s the worst-case scenario that really scares me.
i’m sure the criminals do it anyway