Should Nonviolent Felons Have Rights Restored?

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is throwing its weight behind a groundbreaking Department of Justice (DOJ) proposal that would finally reopen a long-closed door for nonviolent Americans seeking to restore their federal gun rights.

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The proposed rule, published July 22 in the Federal Register, outlines a new application process for individuals prohibited from firearm ownership under federal law to seek relief from that disability.

According to DOJ estimates, over one million applicants could take advantage of this restoration program in its first year alone.

“Having litigated as-applied challenges for a number of disenfranchised individuals, it’s good to see that this proposed rule provides a pathway to restore their rights,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut.

“For years, the only mechanisms available… were the all-but-impossible pardon, seemingly illusory expungement… or an expensive and uncertain route of litigation,” he added.

Since 1968, federal law provided a means for prohibited persons to petition for firearms rights restoration through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

But in 1992, Congress blocked ATF from using any appropriated funds to process those petitions—effectively shutting the program down for over 30 years.

Now, under a new rule and an interim order from the Attorney General rescinding ATF’s authority, the DOJ itself will oversee the application process—breathing life into long-stalled rights restoration.

“This proposed rule… is long overdue,” said SAF Founder and Executive VP Alan Gottlieb. “The Second Amendment Foundation has been fighting for decades in courts to restore rights to people who are no threat to society.”

In the rule proposal itself, the DOJ stated:

“This rulemaking reflects the Department’s commitment to the Second Amendment as an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty… [and] a policy decision that the Department must find a way to both advance public safety and ensure that the rights of the people enshrined in the Constitution are not infringed.”

That statement marks a significant tone shift from past DOJ and ATF practices, which often left rights restoration out of reach—even for individuals with decades-old, nonviolent convictions.

The DOJ is currently accepting public comment on the rule through September 20, 2025.

Gun owners, legal advocates, and the general public are encouraged to weigh in on the proposal here:
👉 Federal Register Comments Portal

SAF sees this as a major milestone in restoring Second Amendment rights to Americans who’ve been unjustly sidelined by bureaucratic inertia for decades.

“The reestablishment of a federal firearms relief determination program will enable millions of Americans to regain their ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Kraut said.

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