USPS Handgun Mailing Ban Lifted 2026: 100-Year Prohibition Ends — Second Amendment Wins

# USPS Handgun Mailing Ban Lifted 2026: 100-Year Prohibition Ends — Second Amendment Wins

> **Quick answer:** The USPS ended its near-century-old ban on mailing handguns in April 2026, after the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel ruled the 1927 prohibition unconstitutional under the Second Amendment's Bruen framework. Private citizens can now mail handguns under the same conditions as rifles and shotguns — unloaded and securely packaged — though federal Gun Control Act requirements and all state laws remain in force.

The USPS handgun mailing ban, in place since 1927, is effectively over. After a landmark January 2026 DOJ legal opinion declared the restriction unconstitutional, the Postal Service revised its mailing standards on April 2, 2026 — ending nearly 100 years of policy that had blocked ordinary Americans from shipping their own handguns through the mail. The legal, constitutional, and practical implications are still unfolding.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney for legal matters.

## The 100-Year Ban: What Was 18 U.S.C. § 1715 and Why Did It Exist?

The federal prohibition on mailing handguns traces back to the Miller Act of 1927 — a law born in the violent crime wave of the Prohibition era. Congress was alarmed by mail-order pistols reaching criminals across state lines, so it made handguns and other "concealable firearms" non-mailable for anyone other than licensed dealers and law enforcement.