United States of America

DOJ Finalizes Rule to Restore Gun Rights for Some Felons

Is the DOJ's new felon gun rights rule a long-overdue fix to a broken system or outright lawlessness?

Published 6 days ago

DOJ Finalizes Rule to Restore Gun Rights for Some Felons

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Above: A man fills out his background check paperwork as he purchases a handgun in Delray Beach, Florida on Jan. 5, 2016. Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

The DOJ's new rule finally gives non-violent felons a real shot at reclaiming their rights after decades of a broken, defunded system. This is a rigorous, case-by-case process that keeps violent felons, sex offenders and others who pose genuine risks permanently out of the running. Treating gun rights as permanently stripped with zero path to review was never justice.

The Truth About Guns Bearingarms

Democratic narrative

The DOJ's rule is flatly illegal, defying appropriations law that Congress has renewed every year since 1993. Shifting authority from the ATF to the DOJ violates the law — and the administration already used this process to restore gun rights to a convicted domestic abuser with ties to the president. Dismantling gun safety guardrails while ignoring congressional intent is lawlessness.

Donald Trump on U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations VPM