On September 30, District Court Judge Reed O’Connor ruled against the federal government’s prohibition of firearm possession at United States Post Offices, a ban that has stood since 1972.
The modest, 17-page decision out of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, names Pam Bondi (as head of the Justice Department) as defendant, although the suit was brought during the Biden administration on June 18, 2024.
The question that naturally arises for those in the Second Amendment community is one of how the Justice Department will respond. In August, the Justice Department announced its intent to abandon an appeal in a similar case (United States v. Ayala) addressing concealed carry and possession of a firearm in a U.S. Post Office.
Victory in today’s case, Firearms Policy Coalition v. Attorney General Pam Bondi, was shared among FPC, for whom the case was named, along with Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), and two individuals.
Judge O’Connor explained, “…it is hard to envision that the Founders would countenance banning firearms in the post office — particularly because they did not do so themselves. Thus, the Government has not carried its burden.” The Judge faithfully applied both the Bruen and Rahimi decisions to determine “…whether a regulation is consistent with our nation’s historical tradition,” and finding them inconsistent with those traditions concluded they are “…unconstitutional as-applied to carrying firearms inside an ordinary post office or on post office property.”
“As we’ve said all along, governments cannot ban weapons in unsecured public spaces, full stop,” said FPC President Brandon Combs in an email press statement. “For too long, peaceable people have been threatened with prosecution simply for carrying weapons for self-defense while mailing a package or buying stamps. That ends here. The Second Amendment simply does not permit governments to invent new so-called ‘gun-free zones’ wherever they please,” he added.
“Millions of people across the country visit the U.S. Post Office as part of their daily routine,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut in an email statement, adding “As we’ve stated throughout this case, there is no historical tradition of banning firearms at post offices, and peaceable Americans all over the country should not be forced to choose between using basic postal services and the exercise of their fundamental rights. Today’s ruling is an encouraging step towards restoring these rights.”
As we reported in July of this year, another coalition of gun rights groups, including Gun Owners of America, Inc., and Gun Owners Foundation, sued the U.S. Post Office itself, filed suit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
