USPS Revises Its Rules So Handguns Can Be Mailed

One of the longest-standing American gun control laws was kicked to the curb by the federal government back in January. Now, as of April 2, the United States Postal Service says it is working on updated guidelines for shipping handguns in the mail—something that’s been banned for nearly 100 years.

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A century of problems at the post office

While a few handguns have been available through the mail to consumers’ addresses (remember all those cap-and-ball revolvers that used to fill the Cabela’s catalog?), for the most part, pistols and the post office haven’t mixed since 1927. That’s when the feds set out a law banning private citizens from receiving handguns through the mail; this was a blow against the mail-order of handguns, something quite doable before then.

After the 1968 Gun Control Act, most handgun purchases through the mail were done through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) or dealer. Yeah, you could buy a Peacemaker clone long-distance, but you’d have the cost and hassle of having to go pick it up at a dealership or FFL. And it wasn’t just a problem for purchasers; if someone wanted to mail a handgun that they already owned to themselves, that was illegal. Now, thanks to a decision handed down by the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel in January, this won’t be the case.

The DOJ’s 15-page decision said the ban on mailing handguns was unconstitutional and a violation of the Second Amendment. Now, the USPS has announced updated guidelines for mailing handguns, publishing them on April 2, 2026.

You can read the whole thing here, but the important part is this: Under the new regs, handguns are now able to be mailed the same way that standard, non-NFA shotguns and rifles were able to be mailed.