Trump Administration Delegates Second Amendment Rights Restoration to Pardon Attorney

The power to restore Second Amendment rights has been transferred to the Attorney General, who has subsequently delegated this authority to the Pardon Attorney's office. This new process is specifically designed to address non-violent offenders who have minor past offenses on their records.

However, violent offenders and individuals currently serving prison sentences are explicitly excluded from being eligible for this restoration process.

The Pardon Attorney's office has undergone a significant staffing increase, making it one of the few divisions to receive such a mandate from the Deputy Attorney General at the time, Todd Blanche. This expansion is in preparation for an anticipated surge in applications for Second Amendment rights restoration.

Estimates suggest that up to 30 million people currently have impaired Second Amendment rights, with initial projections indicating between 300,000 and 3 million potential applicants. The office is also ensuring that the digital application portal is robust and capable of handling this projected volume without technical failures.

The federal firearms rights restoration portal is expected to go live within the next week or so, already being in a ready state. Individuals can access the portal by visiting justice.gov/FFRR once it is officially launched.

The official rule, signed by Todd Blanche, is currently progressing through the Federal Register, formalizing the new process. While test runs are commencing immediately, full system availability for public use is anticipated within approximately 30 days.