Federal Court Rules Post Office Gun Ban Unconstitutional in Major Second Amendment Win

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas declared unconstitutional the federal prohibition on carrying firearms in post offices and surrounding property, ruling that the government failed to demonstrate a historical basis for the restriction under the Second Amendment.

Chief U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor issued the opinion Tuesday in Firearms Policy Coalition Inc. et al. v. Bondi, a lawsuit filed in June 2024 by the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Second Amendment Foundation, and two individual plaintiffs. The court held that 39 C.F.R. § 111.6, incorporating U.S. Postal Service regulations banning firearms in postal facilities, violates the right to bear arms for self-defense as protected by New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (597 U.S. 1, 2022).

O’Connor reasoned that the government must justify modern firearm regulations by showing they are "consistent with this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation." The defendants provided no "well-established and representative historical analogue" for disarming individuals in post offices, which the court described as ordinary public spaces frequented by millions daily for routine services. "The law is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment with respect to Plaintiffs’ (and their members’) possession and carrying of firearms inside of an ordinary United States Post Office or the surrounding Post Office property," O’Connor wrote.

The ruling follows a similar March 2024 decision by U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven in the Middle District of Florida, where she struck down the same regulation for lacking historical precedent. The Department of Justice appealed that case but dropped the appeal in February 2025.

Second Amendment Foundation Executive Director Adam Kraut stated the decision protects millions who visit post offices without forcing them to forgo constitutional rights. Founder Alan Gottlieb emphasized the absence of any historical analogue for such bans. Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs noted it ends prosecution threats against law-abiding citizens for basic activities like mailing packages.

Post offices, handling 129 million pieces of mail daily per USPS data, have enforced the ban since 1997, with penalties up to $100,000 fines and 10 years imprisonment under 18 U.S.C. § 930. The Texas ruling applies nationwide pending appeal, potentially affecting 31,000 facilities and aligning with Bruen's framework requiring historical evidence for "sensitive places" restrictions. The DOJ has not commented on plans to appeal.