Amid a steady stream of headlines highlighting anti-gun legislative proposals in the states, ongoing litigation battles, and regulatory uncertainty, there is also good news to report on the Second Amendment front, courtesy of the Trump Administration. Recent news from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the United States Postal Service (USPS) provide reason for optimism. While the broader landscape of gun rights remains complex and contentious, important shifts at the federal level signal real progress is continuing.
Last week, the USPS announced a proposed rule to modify its regulations to allow certain firearms to be legally shipped through the mail. This legal reassessment is in response to the recent Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion concluding that the nearly 100-year old federal prohibition on mailing “concealable” firearms is unconstitutional. The proposed rule includes important clarifications and policy changes:
Revisions to Publication 52 specify clear definitions of “mailable firearms” and “nonmailable firearms” consistent with OLC’s opinion. The proposed revisions expand the scope of mailable firearms compared to the existing regulations by allowing lawful handguns to be mailed under the same terms and conditions as lawful rifles and shotguns. These conditions continue to require, among other things, that mailed firearms be unloaded. Additionally, otherwise nonmailable handguns will remain mailable between authorized persons consistent with Section 1715.
The rulemaking process allows for public comments to be submitted until May 4, 2026. While the usual option of submitting comments through the government’s online portal does not apply in this case, emails will be accepted. USPS advises: “If sending comments by email, include the name and address of the commenter and send to [email protected], with a subject line of ‘Shipping Firearms.’”
Also, in news that our nation’s veterans have long deserved to hear, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), have undertook coordinated action to remove from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) records of VA beneficiaries who were wrongly reported as prohibited persons solely because they were assigned a fiduciary to assist in management of their benefits.
In February, the VA announced it would end this decades-old practice. NRA-ILA can now report that, according to sources within the government, updates to NICS were made on March 6. Additionally, letters have begun being mailed to the fiduciaries of affected beneficiaries providing formal notice of the steps being taken to end this longstanding injustice.
Those letters note:
Under a directive from the Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs, VA will:
- Work with the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to remove all names previously reported on this basis from NICS.
- End all future reporting of fiduciary program participants to NICS.
- Update VA policies to reflect this change.
And, finally, to cap off the recent positive momentum, last week, Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for DOJ’s Civil Rights Division (CRIT), announced a focused effort to hire and train more lawyers specifically for CRIT’s Second Amendment section. A report from The Washington Times stated, “her office’s goal is to have all state regulations that are inconsistent with pro-Second Amendment cases be struck down, settled or withdrawn by the time she leaves her post.” While certainly an ambitious agenda, Dhillon is clearly invested in making progress on this historic undertaking.
It has been just over one year since President Donald Trump issued his Executive Order on Protecting Second Amendment Rights, which launched a federal review of prior regulations and actions that have restricted lawful firearm ownership to ensure constitutional compliance. That audit and reset effort has been paying dividends ever since. DOJ’s commitment to expanding its legal firepower to counter state infringements will only strengthen its ability to continue the campaign against unlawful restrictions on Second Amendment rights.
Ultimately, these latest actions reflect a broader federal willingness to treat the right to keep and bear arms as a core civil liberty demanding affirmative protection through policymaking and the courts. NRA has long underscored the need for and importance of collaborative efforts at all levels, and these recent proactive steps represent the watershed effort by the Trump Administration on behalf of law-abiding gun owners and businesses.
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