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LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Attorney General Dana Nessel joined 22 other attorneys general to oppose a USPS proposal that would allow prohibited weapons across state borders by mail.
Big picture view:
On Wednesday, AG Nessel became part of a multistate comment letter signed opposing a proposal by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to allow a flood of prohibited weapons across state borders by mail which the AG says endangers the public and harms state budgets.
Since 1927, federal law barred the USPS from mailing concealable firearms, without any court finding them invalid. However, nearly 100 years later, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an opinion that it was unconstitutional, saying it will no longer enforce the statute and instructed USPS to issue conforming regulations.
On April 2, the USPS published a proposal agreeing with the DOJ opinion.
What they're saying:
In the letter signed by Nessel and 22 other states, it is argued that the 1927 federal law is constitutional and the executive branch cannot permit conduct that Congress has prohibited.
The letter adds that allowing people to send firearms through the mail without going through a licensed seller will make it easier for felons and domestic abusers and those subject to restraining orders to access not only firearms but illegal firearms.
The letter later argues that it will also make it more expensive for states to solve gun crimes, reducing the effectiveness of law enforcement tracing tools.
"The U.S. Postal Service should not be used as a loophole for criminals to bypass Michigan law and flood our streets with untraceable firearms," said Nessel. "By illegally and unilaterally dismantling protections that have been in place for nearly 100 years, the Trump administration is making our communities less safe. I stand with my colleagues in opposing this absurd proposed rule."
Nessel was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
The Source: FOX 2 used information from AG Dana Nessel in this report.