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Crapo leads colleagues in demanding answers for shipping policies targeting Second Amendment rights

Shopia Donn 

Washington, D.C– US Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) led a letter to major shipping companies regarding their policies discriminating against legal firearms and ammunition. In the past year, several major freight and shipping companies have introduced policies that discriminate against the firearms and ammunition industry. These range from prohibiting shipments of certain firearm parts to outright bans on firearms and ammunition.

The letter reiterates that the responsibility for passing policies affecting the manufacture and purchase of weapons rests with Congress, not shipping companies. The senators are asking companies to explain why they implemented discriminatory policies and to disclose whether they coordinated with gun control activists when drafting the policies.

Joining Crapo are U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), Bill Cassidy (R- Louisiana) and Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) in the letter to Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn (DHL), XPO Logistics and Saia.

“(DHL/XPO Logistics/Saias) Politics is an affront to the Second Amendment and discriminates against the millions of law-abiding citizens, including many of our constituents, who use and value their constitutional right to own and bear arms.” wrote the senators. “Your policy also discriminates against companies engaged in the legitimate trade in firearms, ammunition and related products, including state gun licensees who use your services to ship their products.”

“If . . . “Cargo carriers engage in policy-making from the boardroom and engage in discriminatory practices. They interfere with the legitimate trade in firearms, restricting distribution and market access, resulting in fewer options and higher costs for businesses and consumers.” The senators continued. “But more importantly, they violate the constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms, enshrined in the Second Amendment.”

You can find a copy of the full letter to DHL HERE, to XPO Logistics HERE and to Saia HERE.

Senator Crapo, a former chair of the Senate Banking Committee, has also warned financial services firms against cutting ties with politically disadvantaged industries, calling such restrictions “a disturbing trend.” He has also condemned the credit card companies’ decision to separate gun sales into separate, distinct categories. He remains opposed to such a focus on legitimate American industries.