President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Justice to propose a rule that will create an avenue to restore gun rights for certain Americans barred from firearm ownership.
In a press release, the DOJ said the rule would address the “ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens—all of them.”
“Federal law disables the firearms rights of many citizens who have been convicted of crimes without regard to whether they actually pose a threat of violence,” the DOJ said. “But federal law also empowers the Attorney General to restore Second Amendment rights to individuals who are not ‘likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety.’”
The proposed rule will provide many citizens with an avenue to restore their gun rights, while keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous criminals and illegal aliens.
“For too long, countless Americans with criminal histories have been permanently disenfranchised from exercising the right to keep and bear arms—a right every bit as constitutionally enshrined as the right to vote, the right to free speech, and the right to free exercise of religion—irrespective of whether they actually pose a threat,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “No longer.”
The department explained that “Ultimate discretion to grant relief will remain with the Attorney General, and she will exercise that discretion on a case-by-case basis in light of all available facts and evidence that bear on an individual’s application. But absent extraordinary circumstances, violent felons, registered sex offenders, and illegal aliens, in particular, will remain presumptively ineligible for relief.”
“General Bondi’s support of the rebooted 925(c) program is consistent with President Donald J. Trump’s promise to the American people to support the beautiful Second Amendment,” said U.S. Pardon Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr.
Martin added, “My team and I are developing a 925(c) program landing page with a sophisticated, user-friendly platform for Americans petitioning for the return of their gun rights, which will make the process easier for them.”
In the United States, federal law prohibits individuals convicted of felonies from possessing, shipping, transporting, or receiving firearms or ammunition, a restriction primarily outlined in the Gun Control Act of 1968. The ban still applies to people whose crimes were nonviolent.
