The U.S. Postal Service and you
A federal appeals court has ruled that the U.S. Postal Service ban on firearms is Constitutional. This means that not only are CCW permit holders prohibited from entering the Post Office itself, but also the grounds, whether the gun is being carried on your person or even in your vehicle (Bonidy et al v. U.S. Postal Service et al, 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 13-1374, June 26, 2015).
Leaving aside the legal issues, this effectively means that if your day includes a trip to the Post Office, you either leave your weapon home that day, or plan on parking somewhere remote to the Post Office, removing your weapon, securing it in your vehicle, etc. And you thought the Second Amendment said, “shall not be infringed.”
Rather than hope that there will be an appeal, and that the appeal will be successful, and that you’ll still be young enough to enjoy your rights once the Supreme Court acknowledges them, try a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA), AKA private mail box.
These are companies that receive your mail at their location, and hold it for your pickup. There are several companies doing this, including The UPS Store in your area (in collaboration with Mail Boxes Etc.).
In Southern California, the Postal Service charges $266 per year for a medium-size Post Office box, which isn’t very tall but allows magazines and oversize envelopes to lie flat.
The UPS Store offers a “large” box for $288 per year, which is more money, but they offer services the U.S. Postal Service doesn’t, such as:
- No junk mail
- 24-hour access
- Security and surveillance
- Will accept and hold packages
- You have an actual physical address
- E-mail notifications
- Ability to call in to check if you’ve received mail
One thing The UPS Store doesn’t advertise, but which I have found to be the case, is that the clerks are usually more friendly, work faster, and are there to help you, as opposed to the typical USPS worker who is simply putting in time while he soaks up tax dollars.
Obviously, your local CMRA could ban you from its property and charge you with trespass if it doesn’t want you around when you’re armed, but if you are carrying concealed, they shouldn’t know in the first place, right? If you think there might be a problem, ask before signing on the dotted line.