The Department of Justice told Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday that current law allows guns in post offices. This memo from the Office of Legal Counsel removes the threat of criminal prosecution for people carrying firearms for self-defense. The government now admits the 92-year ban does not apply to those with lawful carry permits.
Harold Hutchison of The Daily Caller reported that the memo cites a specific exception in federal law. The OLC argues that carrying arms for self-defense in a public building fits this definition perfectly.
This decision follows a July filing where the DOJ dropped an appeal of a court ruling. That ruling blocked enforcement of the ban nationwide. Following the Supreme Court's Wolford decision, the administration earlier decided against challenging a ruling that deemed the ban unconstitutional.
As I reported earlier this week, multiple Trump admin sources tell me Brett Shumate, who runs the DOJ civil division, is the DOJ official behind efforts to appeal the suppressor/NFA decision and force continued registration of suppressors.
This statement suggests Shumate is… https://t.co/qvB84jCw0Z
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 13, 2026
Aidan Johnston, federal affairs director of the Gun Owners of America, called this a historic moment. Speaking to The Federalist, he described it as a "historic and generational win for gun owners to have a gun law that was in effect for 92 years actually get repealed." He noted that it is very rare to get a Second Amendment right back once it is lost.
The memo addresses the statute known as 18 USC 930, which was commonly used to ban guns in USPS buildings. It clarifies that the exception applies to anyone who lawfully carries firearms for lawful purposes. This includes self-defense, which the memo calls a "paradigmatic lawful purpose."
Gun Owners of America shared the news on social media with a breaking alert. They stated the DOJ concedes that Americans can carry in post office buildings under the "lawful purposes" exception. Their post suggested this broad reasoning could lead to public carry in many other federal facilities.
This legal move comes just one day after the DOJ allowed another major gun law to fall. The department declined to appeal a ruling against the National Firearms Act regarding suppressors. On August 5, a federal judge in Texas determined those provisions "exceed Congress's Article I enumerated powers and are therefore unconstitutional."
🚨BREAKING🚨
The @TheJusticeDept concedes that Americans can carry in @USPS buildings under the “lawful purposes” exception to the federal carry ban in 18 U.S.C. 930.
DOJ's reasoning is very broad and could result in public carry in many other federal facilities. pic.twitter.com/01LTnBZfcO
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) August 13, 2026
The judge's decision benefited a "coalition of individuals, businesses, associations, and states" that sued the ATF. Before this, buyers had to pay a $200 tax stamp and wait up to a month for approval.
A senior administration official told the DCNF that critics of the DOJ's enforcement were wrong to complain. He stated, "I understand people have policy differences with DOJ's enforcement of federal laws, but, in my opinion, and I've said this to many gun groups, the appropriate place to launch those policy discussions is in Congress, not with us." He added that the government must defend laws even if officials do not personally agree with them.
The fight is not over for all suppressor owners, as some were not part of the specific lawsuit. However, the lack of a stay extension has already allowed the first lawful, unregistered transfer since 1934. Transfers without paperwork or waiting periods are now being pursued by the Silencer Shop Foundation and Gun Owners of America.
