TEXAS JUDGE RULES GUNS CANNOT BE BANNED IN POST OFFICES. (PHOTO).

 Texas judge rules guns cannot be banned in post offices

A federal judge in Texas ruled Tuesday that the U.S. government cannot constitutionally prohibit people from carrying guns in and around post offices, finding that such restrictions lack historical precedent.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor cited the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which established that gun regulations must be “consistent with this nation’s historical tradition” to be lawful. O’Connor noted that although post offices and mail carriers have faced threats since the nation’s founding, the federal government only banned firearms on postal property in the 1970s. “Even though Congress and the founders were aware of the ‘general societal problem’ of violence towards the postal service, the prohibition against firearms in post offices or on postal property did not appear until nearly 200 years after the founding,” he wrote.

The ruling stems from a 2024 challenge by two gun rights groups, the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Second Amendment Foundation, along with two individuals, who argued that a federal law banning firearms in “federal facilities” and a Postal Service regulation banning weapons on postal property were unconstitutional. O’Connor agreed, issuing an injunction preventing the federal government from enforcing the law and regulation against the plaintiffs regarding possession of firearms in post offices.

The injunction does not extend to post offices inside restricted areas, such as military bases, or federally owned buildings that house other government functions where firearms are already prohibited. The judge rejected arguments that the “sensitive places” doctrine applies to post offices, stating that legislative assemblies, polling places, and courthouses involve weightier government functions than postal facilities and have historical precedent for firearm restrictions.

O’Connor also dismissed the government’s claim that property ownership allows it to bypass constitutional protections, noting that no historical evidence shows guns were broadly banned in government buildings at the time of the founding.

The ruling drew praise from gun rights advocates. Firearms Policy Coalition President Brandon Combs said the decision ends the threat of prosecution for carrying firearms while accessing postal services. Adam Kraut, executive director of the Second Amendment Foundation, added that Americans should not have to choose between using postal services and exercising their constitutional rights.

The Postal Service declined to comment, and the Department of Justice had not responded to requests for comment.