--- kind: "section" citation: "18 U.S.C. § 1715" title: "18" title_heading: "Crimes and Criminal Procedure" number: "1715" heading: "Firearms as nonmailable; regulations" release: "119-102" date: "2026-07-12" url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/18/1715" units: - "Part I — Crimes" - "Chapter 83 — Postal Service" --- # §1715. Firearms as nonmailable; regulations Pistols, revolvers, and other [firearms](/usc/18/232.md?p=4) capable of being concealed on the [person](/usc/18/229F.md?p=5) are nonmailable and shall not be deposited in or carried by the mails or delivered by any [officer or employee](/usc/18/202.md?p=a) of the Postal Service. Such articles may be conveyed in the mails, under such regulations as the Postal Service shall prescribe, for use in connection with their official duty, to [officers](/usc/18/202.md?p=c) of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Space Force, or Organized Reserve Corps; to [officers](/usc/18/202.md?p=c) of the National Guard or Militia of a [State](/usc/18/31.md?p=a-9), Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District; to [officers](/usc/18/202.md?p=c) of the [United States](/usc/18/229F.md?p=9) or of a [State](/usc/18/31.md?p=a-9), Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District whose official duty is to serve warrants of arrest or commitments; to [employees](/usc/18/202.md?p=c) of the Postal Service; to [officers](/usc/18/202.md?p=c) and [employees](/usc/18/202.md?p=c) of enforcement agencies of the [United States](/usc/18/229F.md?p=9); and to watchmen engaged in guarding the property of the [United States](/usc/18/229F.md?p=9), a [State](/usc/18/31.md?p=a-9), Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District. Such articles also may be conveyed in the mails to [manufacturers](/usc/18/841.md?p=h) of [firearms](/usc/18/232.md?p=4) or bona fide [dealers](/usc/18/841.md?p=i) therein in customary trade shipments, including such articles for repairs or replacement of parts, from one to the other, under such regulations as the Postal Service shall prescribe. [Whoever](/usc/18/921.md?p=a-1) knowingly deposits for mailing or delivery, or knowingly causes to be delivered by mail according to the direction thereon, or at any place to which it is directed to be delivered by the [person](/usc/18/229F.md?p=5) to whom it is addressed, any pistol, revolver, or [firearm](/usc/18/232.md?p=4) declared nonmailable by this section, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both. ## Source credit (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 781; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 40, 63 Stat. 95; Pub. L. 91–375, § 6(j)(24), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 779; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 607(f), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3511; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title IX, § 927(c), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3831.) ## Notes ### Historical and Revision Notes ### 1948 Act Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 361 (Feb. 8, 1927, ch. 75, § 1, 44 Stat. 1059; May 15, 1939, ch. 134, 53 Stat. 744; Mar. 7, 1942, ch. 160, 56 Stat. 141). Reference to persons causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of “principal” in section 2 of this title. Minor changes were made in phraseology. ### 1949 Act This section [section 40] inserts “Air Force,” in section 1715 of title 18, U.S.C., in view of the establishment in 1947 of this separate branch of the armed forces, and substitutes, “Organized” for “Officers’ ”, preceding “Reserve Corps”, to conform to section 2 of title 10, U.S.C., as amended by the act of March 25, 1948 (ch. 157, § 1, 62 Stat. 87), which grouped all reserve branches into a reserve component called the Organized Reserve Corps. ### Editorial Notes ### Amendments 2021—Pub. L. 116–283 inserted “Space Force,” after “Marine Corps,”. 1996—Pub. L. 104–294, in first par., substituted “State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District” for “State, Territory, or District” wherever appearing. 1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” in second par. 1970—Pub. L. 91–375 substituted “Postal Service” for “Postmaster General” after “such regulations as the” in two places and “officer or employee of” for “postmaster, letter carrier, or other person in” in first par., respectively. 1949—Act May 24, 1949, inserted “Air Force” after “Navy” and substituted “Organized” for “Officers’ ” before “Reserve Corps” in first par., to make section applicable to the Air Force and to conform to the grouping of all reserve branches into a single reserve component. ### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries ### Effective Date of 1970 Amendment Amendment by Pub. L. 91–375 effective within 1 year after Aug. 12, 1970, on date established therefor by Board of Governors of United States Postal Service and published by it in Federal Register, see section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375, set out as an Effective Date note preceding section 101 of Title 39, Postal Service.