Pam Bondi, the AG of the United States Pam Bondi — the ID-less gun ownership restrictions. She’s now turned her attention to the rights restoration, helping people with criminal convictions restore their rights. This proposal aligns with the broader efforts of President Donald Trump’s administration to fulfill campaign commitments made to gun rights advocates. Bondi’s master settlement agreement plan would give her office the power to take away guns from violent felons. This change now gives her the discretion to determine who should qualify.
In an announcement issued on Friday, Bondi made it clear that individuals with grave criminal felonies should not possess guns. This prohibition isn’t new. Her proposed changes intend to provide a pathway for these individuals to regain their rights while maintaining safeguards against granting access to dangerous criminals. According to the Department of Justice, the plan “will provide citizens whose firearm rights are currently under legal disability with an avenue to restore those rights, while keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous criminals and illegal aliens.”
Under her proposal, Bondi would receive final discretion. This discretionary authority means that she can provide targeted relief for those who have been permanently prohibited from owning firearms. The Department of Justice clarified that “absent extraordinary circumstances,” specific groups—including violent felons, registered sex offenders, and illegal aliens—would be “presumptively ineligible” for restoration of their gun rights.
His move comes just a few months after President Trump’s unexpected directive back in February to roll back government gun policies. Unsurprisingly, Trump has already granted gun pardons to those convicted for their role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. He has extended these rights to persons who received pardon.
Weirdly enough, despite Bondi’s claims that no one wants to hear it, her proposal has drawn plenty of fire from gun control advocates. The Brady Campaign, perhaps the best known of the national gun-control organizations, expressed its outrage when news of Bondi’s plan leaked out back in March. That’s why Kris Brown, president of Brady, urged the Administration to consider the ramifications of an actually dangerous policy change.
“This would be a unilateral system to give gun rights back to those who are dangerous and high risk, and we will all be at greater risk of gun violence.” – Kris Brown
Restoring gun rights to some people convicted of crimes would pose an unacceptable risk to public safety, opponents say. To this end, they support increasing regulations to keep firearms out of the hands of those who should be considered dangerous.
