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Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a multistate comment letter signed by 22 states opposing a proposal by the U.S. Postal Service to allow certain concealable firearms to be mailed across state borders.
LANSING, Mich. (WJRT) – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a multi-state comment letter signed by 22 states opposing a proposal by the U.S. Postal Service to allow certain concealable firearms to be mailed across state borders.
Federal law has barred the Postal Service from mailing certain concealable firearms since 1927.
“The U.S. Postal Service should not be used as a loophole for criminals to bypass Michigan law and flood our streets with untraceable firearms,” Nessel said.
In January, the U.S. Department of Justice issued an opinion, saying the statute is unconstitutional and saying it will no longer enforce the law. The opinion instructed the Postal Service to issue new regulations allowing the change.
On April 2, the Postal Service published a proposed rule to conform with the Justice Department opinion.
In its letter, the coalition of state officials argues that the longstanding federal law that restricts sending firearms through U.S. Mail is constitutional and the executive branch cannot unilaterally change rules Congress enacted 99 years ago.
“By illegally and unilaterally dismantling protections that have been in place for nearly 100 years, the Trump administration is making our communities less safe,” Nessel said. “I stand with my colleagues in opposing this absurd proposed rule.”
The letter outlines that individuals prohibited from owning a firearm — including convicted felons, domestic abusers, and individuals subject to restraining orders — could get a gun through the mail in violation of state laws.
The types of guns that might be mailed across state lines may also include firearms prohibited by state laws, such as assault weapons or silencers.
The letter also states that allowing individuals to send firearms through the mail without going through a licensed seller will make it more difficult and more expensive for states to solve gun crimes, reducing the effectiveness of law enforcement tracing tools.
Unlike private carriers like UPS or FedEx, the Postal Service recognizes no statutory obligation to ensure the packages it carries comply with state laws on the acquisition or transfer of firearms. That creates a loophole in state laws.
Nessel was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
The head of the U.S. Postal Service has warned lawmakers that the storied 250-year-old agency is at a “critical juncture” and will run out of …
