WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11), alongside Reps. Mike Thompson, Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force (CA-04), and Jill Tokuda (HI-02), introduced the Keep Illegal Handguns Out of the Mail Act, legislation to stop the United States Postal Service from moving forward with a proposed rule to expand handgun shipments through the mail.
“Michigan families are tired of watching Washington move in the wrong direction on gun safety,” said Rep. Stevens. “The last thing we should be doing is making it easier for handguns to move through the mail. My bill draws a clear line: no backdoor expansion of handgun access through USPS. From Oakland County to communities across our state, Michiganders want common-sense safeguards that protect public safety. Allowing anyone to ship handguns by mail creates unnecessary risks for postal workers, law enforcement, and families.”
“Reversing a sensible 99-year-old law against mailing handguns is flat out dangerous,” said Rep. Thompson. “Families, postal workers, and law enforcement want more safety measures in place, not fewer. Instead of focusing on lowering costs or protecting our democracy, Republicans are carrying out the whims of the gun lobby and reversing popular safety measures at the cost of Americans’ lives.”
“The mail is how families receive medicine, paychecks, birthday cards, and ballots. By dismantling nearly a century of public safety protections, USPS risks opening a dangerous pipeline for illegal handgun trafficking that threatens law enforcement, postal workers, and families across the country,” said Rep. Tokuda. “Hawaiʻi, like many states, is already seeing rising gun violence tied to untraceable and unregistered firearms, and the cost is measured in lives cut short and families forever changed. I’m proud to co-lead this bill with Representatives Stevens and Thompson because we must not allow the Postal Service to become a backdoor for deadly weapons to flood our communities.”
Current federal law generally prohibits private individuals from mailing handguns through USPS, with narrow exceptions for licensed dealers and government entities. But under the Trump Administration’s proposal, USPS is cracking open the door to allow anyone with access to a mailbox to send and receive handguns through the mail. No background checks, no recordkeeping, and no involvement by a licensed dealer.
Stevens’ legislation would stop the Trump proposal and preserve longstanding federal law regarding mail access for handguns.
The Keep Illegal Handguns Out of the Mail Act:
- Prohibits the U.S. Postal Service from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the proposed rule “Revised Mailing Standards for Firearms,” published in the Federal Register on April 2, 2026 (91 Fed. Reg. 16601).
- Blocks any substantially similar rule, preventing USPS from reissuing the proposal under a different title or with cosmetic changes.
- Preserves 18 U.S.C. § 1715 as the operative federal law governing handgun mailing restrictions.
- Protects state background check laws by preventing unsupervised private handgun transfers through the mail.
This bill is endorsed by Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Giffords, Everytown for Gun Safety, Newtown Action Alliance, the Community Justice Action Fund, and the League of Women Voters of the United States.
“The proposed rule that would allow the private mailing of firearms through the Postal Service is a recipe for disaster. This attempt by the Trump Administration would weaken our background check system, endanger USPS workers, and interfere with gun tracing for violent crimes,” said Vanessa Gonzalez, Vice President of Government and Political Affairs at Giffords. “ This administration’s goal is to cozy up to the gun lobby and neglect public safety. We want to thank Rep. Stevens for swiftly fighting back against this rule, and urge all members to join her in this fight.”
“America’s USPS postal workers provide an essential service transporting goods to households across the nation, but they are not properly equipped to handle and transport handguns across the country,” said Mark Collins, Director of Federal Policy at Brady: United Against Gun Violence. “The Trump administration’s proposal allowing individuals to mail handguns through USPS will undermine state law and create dangerous opportunities for gun theft and trafficking, jeopardizing Americans’ safety. Brady thanks Representatives Haley Stevens and Mike Thompson for introducing this legislation and standing up for America’s postal workers and public safety.”
The bill is cosponsored by Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-4), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-6), Rep. Brittany Pettersen (C0-7), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-7), and Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26).
The bill continues Stevens’ efforts to strengthen public safety and keep dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands.
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