§ 1715. — Firearms as nonmailable; regulations.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 18USC1715]
TITLE 18--CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I--CRIMES
CHAPTER 83--POSTAL SERVICE
Sec. 1715. Firearms as nonmailable; regulations
Pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed on
the person are nonmailable and shall not be deposited in or carried by
the mails or delivered by any officer or employee 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 of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard,
Marine Corps, or Organized Reserve Corps; to officers of the National
Guard or Militia of a State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or
District; to officers of the United States or of a State, Territory,
Commonwealth, Possession, or District whose official duty is to serve
warrants of arrest or commitments; to employees of the Postal Service;
to officers and employees of enforcement agencies of the United States;
and to watchmen engaged in guarding the property of the United States, a
State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District. Such articles
also may be conveyed in the mails to manufacturers of firearms or bona
fide dealers 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 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 to whom
it is addressed, any pistol, revolver, or firearm declared nonmailable
by this section, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more
than two years, or both.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 781; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, Sec. 40,
63 Stat. 95; Pub. L. 91-375, Sec. 6(j)(24), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 779;
Pub. L. 103-322, title XXXIII, Sec. 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108
Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 104-294, title VI, Sec. 607(f), Oct. 11, 1996, 110
Stat. 3511.)
Historical and Revision Notes
1948 Act
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Sec. 361 (Feb. 8, 1927, ch. 75,
Sec. 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,
Sec. 1, 62 Stat. 87), which grouped all reserve branches into a reserve
component called the Organized Reserve Corps.
Amendments
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.
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.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 922 of this title; title 19
section 1583; title 39 section 3001.
