The Bondi Department of Justice is trying to illustrate to the court that it is slowly restoring gun rights to some individuals, as documented in a February 9 letter to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, just ahead of the February 11 en banc rehearing.
The two-page letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, indicated that the DOJ has “…granted relief from federal firearms disabilities to 22 individuals.” The double negative simply means these individuals have had their Second Amendment rights fully restored.
The criteria set forth by the DOJ included that, “…these individuals did not have recent convictions and did not have any convictions or arrests of concern since completing any sentences, as verified by records and identity checks.”
The letter noted that the recipients of the relief included two who had filed suit, and three with pending suits, suggesting that the DOJ desires to end further legal proceedings.
The letter was sent in the context of a Firearms Policy Coalition-backed case with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals challenging a federal, lifetime ban on firearm possession by non-violent felons, known as Williams v. Bondi. The complaint in the Pennsylvania-based case dates back to 2017. The case was also supported via an amicus brief filed jointly by Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA), Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA).
In November of 2023, a district court ruled in favor of Mr. Williams, declaring the ban unconstitutional for non-violent convictions, which the DOJ then appealed to the Third Circuit. Oral arguments occurred in July of 2025, but similar to another major 2A case at the Third Circuit (this one out of New Jersey), in October, the court ordered an en banc re-hearing, which is to take place on February 11.
Historically, there has been virtually no meaningful way to restore 2A rights once an individual has a “disability.” Subsequent to President Trump’s executive order to protect the Second Amendment, the DOJ issued a July 7, 2025, proposed rule entitled, “Application for Relief From Disabilities Imposed by Federal Laws With Respect to the Acquisition, Receipt, Transfer, Shipment, Transportation, or Possession of Firearms.”
The program is still in development, but the rule notes that, “…the Department estimates that approximately one million people will apply for relief within the first year of the program.”
