The federal government has dropped its appeal of a court decision that struck down the ban on carrying semi-automatic rifles in U.S. Post Offices, cementing a legal victory for pro-life advocates and gun rights organizations.
Background
The Department of Justice filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss its appeal of a September ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. In that decision, the court declared the ban on carrying guns on post office property unconstitutional and blocked the government from enforcing it against the plaintiffs, which include members of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC).
A subsequent district court clarification confirmed that the injunction has a nationwide effect, protecting all current and future members of the plaintiff organizations. With the government withdrawing its appeal, that injunction remains permanently in place.
“This is huge news for SAF members,” said Bill Sack, SAF’s Senior Director of Legal Operations. “We now have finality and clarity that the hard-fought injunction we secured on behalf of our members, striking down the post office carry ban is the permanent outcome of the case. The government appears to now agree, especially in light of the recent Wolford decision, that the ban on the lawful carry of firearms in post offices fails constitutional muster.”
Implications
The lawsuit, originally filed in June 2024, challenged both the federal law and Postal Service regulations that prohibit possessing or carrying firearms inside post offices and on surrounding postal property, such as parking lots. The legal challenge was brought by SAF, the FPC, and two individual citizens.
The district court’s original ruling held that the blanket ban is inconsistent with the historical tradition of firearm regulation in the United States, which is the standard set by the Supreme Court for evaluating Second Amendment challenges.
“The government rightly saw the writing on the wall that they were not going to win this case,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “We certainly appreciate the DOJ recognizing the facts and voluntarily dismissing their appeal. With this injunction in hand, SAF has once again fulfilled its mission of defending, securing and restoring the Second Amendment rights for its members as well as the public at large.”
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
