Editor’s Update: In an effort to clarify the question that will undoubtedly be on the minds of many lawful carriers, we reached out to FPC to clarify whether this ruling, once accepted by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, will only apply to FPC members within the jurisdiction of the Fifth Circuit or to members nationwide.
Here is their response: If the Fifth Circuit grants the government’s motion, which we expect it will, then the permanent injunction as set forth in the Court’s Order and Final Judgment will continue to apply to the named plaintiffs and to all present and future members of Firearms Policy Coalition period. Our position is that the federal government would be in violation of the injunction if it enforced the post office carry ban against one of our members anywhere in the United States to the extent that enforcement contravened the Court’s Order.
NEW ORLEANS — Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate took an “L” in his legal scorecard today, but more significantly, the Justice Department backed down from its standard pro-gun control posture by voluntarily dismissing its appeal in Firearms Policy Coalition v. Blanche, the case challenging the federal government’s ban on carrying a firearm in United States Post Office locations.
The announcement of the news comes as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is testifying before Congress in confirmation hearings, hoping to be appointed attorney general, and replacing former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who stepped down on April 2.
The July 16 motion was unopposed, and if accepted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, will leave the district court’s permanent injunction unchanged. The district court’s opinion was issued on October 1, 2025, by Judge Reed O’Connor, and was a landmark decision in that the ban had stood since 1972. The case was originally brought against the Bondi DOJ and was backed by the Firearms Policy Coalition.
FPC President Brandon Combs issued a fiery statement regarding the government’s action in this case on their website:
The Trump DOJ spent far too long defending an immoral and unconstitutional ban that treated peaceable Americans like criminals. Now, after losing on the merits and failing to gut the relief protecting our members, the government is finally waving the white flag. Good. This victory protects every present and future member of the FPC Grassroots Army, and it proves once again that membership can have real, direct consequences for the exercise of constitutional rights. But the government deserves no credit for finally abandoning its authoritarian effort to preserve an unconstitutional and immoral law. FPC will continue to Fight Forward until every unconstitutional gun ban is eliminated, full stop.
This move by the DOJ is a positive development in that some divisions of the Justice Department have (and currently are) defended gun control measures, such as the NFA. It may portend a new trend out of the DOJ, a view that many hold with cautious optimism. Only the Second Amendment Section of the Civil Rights Division maintains a perfect, 100% pro-Second Amendment legal record.
You can view all DOJ Second Amendment-related legal actions in our dedicated tracker.
