By Attorney General Dana Nessel
LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a multistate comment letter (PDF) signed by 22 states opposing an unlawful proposal by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to allow a flood of prohibited weapons across state borders by mail, endangering the public and harming state and local budgets. For almost one hundred years, dating back to 1927, federal law has barred the USPS from mailing certain concealable firearms, without any court finding it invalid. In January 2026, 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.
In its letter, the coalition argues that 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 U.S. Postal Service should not be used as a loophole for criminals to bypass Michigan law and flood our streets with untraceable firearms,” said Attorney General Nessel. “By illegally and unilaterally dismantling protections that have been in place for nearly 100 years, the Trump administration is making our communities less safe. I stand with my colleagues in opposing this absurd proposed rule.”
The multistate letter outlines the danger if this rule takes effect. Individuals prohibited from owning a firearm—including convicted felons, domestic abusers, and individuals subject to restraining orders—could get a gun though the mail, despite those states’ careful laws on who may possess guns. The types of guns that might be mailed across state lines may also include those prohibited by states’ laws, such as assault weapons or silencers. 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.
Additionally, without federal firearms trace data, law enforcement agencies will have higher investigation costs. State law enforcement may have to create a new tracking structure to account for the unregulated mailing of concealable firearms through USPS.
Attorney General Nessel was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.