Post Office and Firearms Update
By Gregory Kielma
Federal Judge Rejects Trump DOJ Motion To Gut Ruling Striking Down Post Office Carry Ban
Federal Judge Rejects Trump DOJ Motion To Gut Ruling Striking Down Post Office Carry Ban
We reported back in November that, after a federal court ruled the ban on carrying firearms in post offices unconstitutional, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion to significantly limit the scope of the injunction.
In the case Firearms Policy Coalition Inc. v. Bondi, the court ruled on September 30: “The Court determines that both 18 U.S.C. § 930(a) and 39 C.F.R. § 232.1(1) are inconsistent with the principles that underpin this Nation’s regulatory tradition. Thus, they are unconstitutional as applied to carrying firearms inside an ordinary post office or on post office property.”
Unsatisfied with the ruling, the DOJ immediately filed a motion to limit the scope of the injunction to only the named individual plaintiffs and to members of SAF and its partner organizations who were members when the complaint was originally filed and who have been identified and verified. That, of course, prompted both the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) to fight back, filing a brief countering the federal government’s request.
On March 17, a District Court judge in Texas ruled in favor of the two organizations and their partners, confirming that all current and future members are covered by the injunction in the case, which bars enforcement of the post office carry ban at most ordinary locations.