As many TTAG readers likely remember, when a federal court ruled last September that the blanket ban on firearms in post offices was unconstitutional, the federal government tried to severely limit the scope of the ruling to those who were Second Amendment Foundation members when the suit was originally filed.
Plaintiffs pushed back — and the court sided with SAF
Plaintiffs responded by filing a brief critical of the Department of Justice effort to limit the ruling. SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut said at the time: “The critical thing to remember here is that the government is fighting tooth and nail to continue enforcing an unconstitutional law against as many people as possible.”
The court subsequently rejected the government’s effort to restrict that relief to only those who were members when the lawsuit was filed. Now, in a major reversal, the Trump DOJ has now asked to abandon its appeal in the case.
FPC v. Blanche started in 2024 — and now it’s over
Originally filed in June 2024, FPC v. Blanche, formerly FPC v. Bondi, challenged the ban on firearms carry in U.S. Post Offices and on postal property. SAF was joined in the case by the Firearms Policy Coalition and two private citizens.
SAF: The injunction is now permanent — the win stands
“This is huge news for SAF members,” Bill Sack, SAF senior director of legal operations, said in a news release announcing the DOJ move. “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.”
Gottlieb: The DOJ saw the writing on the wall
Alan M. Gottlieb, SAF founder and executive vice president, said the government rightly “saw the writing on the wall” that it was not going to win the case.
“We certainly appreciate the DOJ recognizing the facts and voluntarily dismissing their appeal,” Gottlieb said. “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.”
Combs: The DOJ deserves no credit for finally abandoning an unconstitutional law
Speaking for his organization, FPC President Brandon Combs said the Trump DOJ “spent far too long defending an immoral and unconstitutional ban that treated peaceable Americans like criminals.”
“Now, after losing on the merits and failing to gut the relief protecting our members, the government is finally waving the white flag. Good,” Combs said. “This victory protects every present and future member of the FPC Grassroots Army, and it proves once again that membership can have real, direct consequences for the exercise of constitutional rights.”
“But the government deserves no credit for finally abandoning its authoritarian effort to preserve an unconstitutional and immoral law. FPC will continue to Fight Forward until every unconstitutional gun ban is eliminated, full stop.”
The court called out the DOJ’s associational standing arguments
“Despite its arguments, the Government has not provided, and the Court has not found, a case limiting injunctive relief to only those members of an association at the time a lawsuit is filed,” the court wrote in its ruling. “And while Plaintiffs could have sought class certification, they apparently also relied instead on associational standing — which the Government seemingly agrees they have in some form.”