The League of Women Voters of the United States submitted comments to the United States Postal Service (USPS) opposing their proposed revised mailing standards for firearms.
May 4, 2026
Mr. Dale Kennedy
Director, Product Classification
US Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446
Washington, DC 20260
Submitted electronically via regulations.gov
Re: Revised Mailing Standards for Firearms, amending Publication 52, Hazardous,
Restricted, and Perishable Mail (Publication 52)
Dear Director Kennedy,
The League of Women Voters (the League) is a 106-year-old nonpartisan, nonprofit
organization committed to ensuring that everyone is represented in our democracy. We are
a grassroots group comprised of more than one million members and supporters across
more than 800 local and state Leagues nationwide. The League focuses on advocacy,
education, litigation, and organizing to achieve our mission to empower voters and defend
democracy. We base our work on policy positions developed from multi-year studies and
derived through consensus among League membership to ensure our advocacy reflects
best practices and a nationwide perspective.
The League submits these comments in opposition to the suggested amendments to
Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail. The amendments included in
the proposed rule will weaken critical safeguards on firearm access and increase the
national risk of gun violence, which directly impacts the safety, participation, and
representation of voters in our democracy.
The League and Gun Policy
The League believes that individual rights protected by the Constitution should not be
weakened or abridged. Concurrently, the League also believes that the proliferation of
semi-automatic/automatic weapons in the United States is a major health and public
safety threat to its citizens. Furthermore, we support strong federal measures to limit
accessibility and regulate the ownership of these weapons by private citizens.
The League’s Concerns with Proposed Amendments to Publication 52
The proposed amendments to Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail
(Publication 52) would significantly expand the scope of mailable firearms by allowing
handguns to be sent through the USPS, and would allow unlicensed individuals to mail
handguns, rifles, and shotguns to others. This would weaken long-standing safeguards that
help to maintain transparency, accountability, and traceability.
Under current federal law, people are prohibited from mailing handguns and other
concealable firearms through the USPS. Therefore, firearms must be shipped through
common carriers like FedEx or UPS, which limit these transactions to federally licensed
gun manufacturers, importers, and dealers (Federal Firearm Licensees, or FFLs). This
system aims to protect the public, as FFLs are required to run a background check on
whoever picks up the firearm to ensure that they can legally possess it.
In contrast, the proposed changes would create new risks by allowing all lawful firearms
(not just rifles and shotguns) to be mailed, including between unlicensed entities without
background checks or eligibility verifications. The proposed changes undermine a key
section of the 1968 Gun Control Act, which makes it unlawful for certain categories of
people to ship, transport, receive, or possess firearms or ammunition. This includes
persons who are fugitives, have a history of mental illness, or are subject to restraining
orders, perpetrators of harassing and stalking, and people convicted of domestic violence,
among others.
America already struggles with gun violence. The US gun homicide rate is 26 times that of
other high-income countries. Globally, the US ranks at the 93rd percentile for firearm
mortality, 96th percentile for firearm mortality among women, and 92nd percentile for
firearm mortality among children and teens. This is especially an issue in the context of
people with mental health issues or a history of domestic violence, with 27,300 people
having died by firearm suicide in 2023, and nearly half of all female intimate partner
homicides being by a firearm. The proposed rule would make handguns and concealable
firearms more easily accessible to such individuals who already pose a threat to
themselves and/or others.
The League is particularly concerned about how this rule change, and the resultant firearm
proliferation, could impact voters’ sense of and actual safety at the polls. The presence or
threat of gun violence has been shown to intimidate voters, create unsafe conditions for
election workers, and discourage civic engagement altogether. Protecting voters and the
electoral process from potential violence and intimidation is essential to a functioning
democracy. Any rule change that weakens safeguards on the circulation of firearms
undermines the ability of all people to participate fully in civic life.
Conclusion
The League opposes the proposed rule “Revised Mailing Standards for Firearms,” as it
weakens critical safeguards on firearm access and increases the risk of gun violence,
which directly impacts the safety, participation, and ultimately, representation of voters in
our democracy. By expanding the kinds of firearms that can be mailed and reducing
existing safeguards on who can do so, the proposed rule change creates new risks that
could undermine public safety and civic engagement. It undermines the precautions
required of FFLs, who must conduct background checks and maintain records for
purposes of accountability and traceability. It also undermines part of the Gun Control Act
of 1968 by creating new pathways for firearms to be transferred outside of the existing legal
safeguards, increasing the likelihood that guns will end up in the hands of those who are
prohibited from possessing them.
Strong federal measures to limit the accessibility and regulate the ownership of firearms
are essential to preserving a democratic system where all people can participate freely
without fear, especially considering our country’s ongoing struggles with gun violence in
private and public spaces. For these reasons, The League urges USPS to protect our nation
by rejecting the amendments in the proposed rule.
Please do not hesitate to contact Kristen Kern, Federal Policy and Advocacy Manager, at
[email protected], if you have any questions about the League's recommendation