Attorney General Todd Blanche finalized a new regulation Monday creating a formal federal pathway for non-violent felons to petition for the restoration of their Second Amendment rights, while violent offenders, registered sex offenders, and illegal aliens remain presumptively ineligible.
The Justice Department finalized a new regulation Monday creating a formal pathway for non-violent felons to petition for the restoration of their federal gun rights -- the first functioning federal mechanism of its kind in more than three decades. Attorney General Todd Blanche signed off on the rule, which hands the attorney general explicit authority to grant relief from the federal firearms ban on a case-by-case basis. The move delivers on a long-promised revival of the Second Amendment restoration process Congress effectively shut down in 1992.
Under the new rule, applicants must prove they no longer pose a threat to public safety and that restoring their rights would not run contrary to the public interest. The Justice Department is now directing interested individuals to its new Federal Firearm Rights Restoration Program website, where eligibility information, application instructions, and the application process are available.
The regulation implements 18 U.S.C. Section 925(c), a statute that gives the attorney general authority to lift federal firearms disabilities for individuals who were stripped of their rights after a criminal conviction. For years, that authority was effectively dead letter -- Congress barred the funding needed to process applications back in 1992, leaving millions of Americans with no federal avenue to regain their rights.
That changes now. Each application will be reviewed individually, with public safety remaining the predominant consideration. The standard is demanding: applicants must show that the circumstances behind their prohibition, together with their record, reputation, and subsequent conduct, demonstrate they are not likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety.
The Justice Department describes the rule as a balance between two priorities -- restoring Second Amendment rights to law-abiding Americans and keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous criminals. For non-violent offenders who served their time, stayed clean, and rebuilt their lives, the door is finally open.
The new pathway is not a blanket restoration. The Justice Department made clear that, absent extraordinary circumstances, violent felons, registered sex offenders, illegal aliens, and other individuals who present an ongoing danger remain presumptively ineligible for relief.
That carve-out matters. The rule is carefully drawn to exclude anyone with a violent history, sex crimes, or a demonstrated risk to the community, while giving the attorney general room to consider compelling cases on their merits. Relief is granted one applicant at a time, not as a category.
Federal relief also does not erase state-level restrictions. Applicants who regain their federal rights may still face state laws that bar them from possessing firearms, and a grant of relief can be revoked if the individual commits a new disqualifying offense.
The final rule caps a revival effort that began early in the Trump administration. The Justice Department issued an interim final rule in March 2025, published a proposed rule that July, and began restoring rights for individual applicants along the way. Dozens of Americans with decades-old, non-violent convictions have already had their federal gun rights returned.
Monday's action completes the regulatory framework. The department has now announced the final rule and confirmed that the online application form will be available soon, with the Office of the Pardon Attorney administering the program. Given the decades-long backlog of eligible applicants, the program is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of applications in its first year.
The immediate next step is the launch of the online application portal, which will allow eligible Americans to file for relief electronically and track the status of their petitions. From there, the attorney general will begin working through what is expected to be a significant volume of applications.
For the millions of Americans who lost their Second Amendment rights over a conviction that does not reflect who they are today, Monday's rule is a long-overdue step toward restoration. The Trump administration has made clear it intends to keep pressing on Second Amendment policy, and this rule puts the government's own machinery on the side of the law-abiding citizen who has earned a second chance.
Attorney General Todd Blanche finalized a new regulation Monday creating a formal federal pathway for non-violent felons to petition for the restoration of their Second Amendment rights, while violent offenders, registered sex offenders, and illegal aliens remain presumptively ineligible.
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