Attorney General Ford Opposes Postal Service Rule Undermining Federal Gun Law

Carson City, NV — Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced that he has joined a multistate comment letter signed by 24 states opposing an unlawful proposal by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to allow prohibited weapons to flood across state borders by mail, endangering the public and harming state and local budgets.

“This unneeded proposal by the postal service will undo some of the hard work Nevada and other states have done to curb the epidemic of gun violence,” said Attorney General Ford. “Our state has suffered enough, and to suggest we make it easier for criminals and abusers to access firearms is a slap in the face to gun violence survivors and law enforcement."

For almost one hundred years, dating back to 1927, federal law has barred the USPS from mailing certain concealable firearms. That statute has stood, without any court finding it invalid, since that time. However, in January 2026, the Trump Administration decided to suddenly stop following the federal law. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an opinion that the statute is unconstitutional; stated it will no longer enforce this commonsense statute; and instructed USPS to issue conforming regulations. On April 2, the USPS published a proposed rule to conform with this DOJ opinion.

 
Today’s letter explains why the proposed rule is unlawful and will harm key public safety and the states. The letter explains that the longstanding federal law restricting mailing firearms via the Postal Service is constitutional, and the executive branch cannot unilaterally permit conduct Congress has prohibited since 1927. The letter also adds that allowing individuals to send firearms through the mail without going through a licensed seller will make it easier for prohibited persons like felons and domestic abusers to access firearms, including illegal firearms. It will also make it more difficult, and more expensive, for states to solve gun crimes, reducing the effectiveness of law enforcement tracing tools.

The multistate letter outlines the danger if this rule takes effect. Individuals prohibited in from owning a firearm — including convicted felons, domestic abusers and individuals subject to restraining orders — could get a gun though the mail, regardless of state laws regarding who may possess guns. Unlike private carriers like UPS, USPS recognizes no statutory obligation to ensure the packages it carries comply with state laws on the acquisition or transfer of firearms, creating a loophole in state laws.

Without federal firearms trace data, law enforcement agencies will have higher investigation costs. Indeed, state law enforcement will have to create a new tracking structure to account for the unregulated mailing of concealable firearms through USPS, harming state budgets that are already damaged by the devastating economic impacts of the second Trump administration.

The attorneys general also explain that the Second Amendment does not require USPS to issue this rule because the underlying federal law governs only whether and when USPS can mail firearms; it does not regulate the right to keep and bear arms.

Attorney General Ford was joined by the co-lead attorneys general of New Jersey, New York and Delaware, as well as the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

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