Brady Sounds Alarm on Trump’s Dangerous Move to Restore Gun Rights En Masse

The DOJ is set to publish an interim final rule tomorrow that gives the Attorney General sole authority to start restoring gun rights to prohibited individuals — including individuals convicted of felonies and domestic abuse.

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 19, 2025 — The Department of Justice is set to publish an interim final rule tomorrow withdrawing from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) the gun rights restoration process and consolidating that authority within the Office of Attorney General Pam Bondi. Brady condemns this action, which follows the President’s February 7th executive order directing Pam Bondi to review all firearm-related policies and deliver a “proposed plan of action” within 30 days to protect against supposed “infringements” on Americans’ Second Amendment rights.

This rule appears to be the first step in a broader effort by the DOJ to create an “automated” system to restore gun rights on a massive scale without a thorough and objective review; prioritizing gun industry profits over public safety. 

While Brady supports fair and lawful pathways for eligible individuals to seek the restoration of their right to own a firearm, the Trump administration’s record of installing Second Amendment extremists as cabinet leaders and arming insurrectionists gives Brady no confidence in its ability to implement such a process safely or responsibly. This concern is validated by last week’s reports that a DOJ pardon attorney was fired after refusing to recommend restoring the gun rights of convicted domestic abuser, Mel Gibson, and her concerns about the efforts of a “working group” dedicated to restoring rights to individuals “convicted of crimes.”

Kris Brown, President of Brady, said:

This is a blatant and dangerous power grab by the Trump Administration and a gift to his donors in the gun industry – one that will open new markets for them by putting guns back into the hands of people who should never have them. In no uncertain terms, Trump is paving the way for mass restoration of gun rights without guardrails. 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. 

If and when gun rights are restored to an individual, it needs to be through a robust and thoughtful system that minimizes the risk to public safety. Yet the Trump administration has shown us they have no such discretion, including by restoring gun rights to violent January 6 insurrectionists. Federal law prohibits domestic abusers and other dangerous individuals from having guns for a reason: the mere presence of a firearm in a domestic violence situation increases the risk that a woman will be killed by 400%. The majority of Americans – including gun owners — support keeping guns away from dangerous individuals, giving us every reason to believe that this process isn’t about protecting the Second Amendment. It’s driven purely by the gun industry’s interest in profits over safety.

Brady will not stand by while this administration manipulates the DOJ to undermine gun violence prevention efforts and put lives at risk. Join us in fighting back by signing this petition to oppose his reckless action.

BREAKING: Tomorrow, the Trump administration will take the first step to recklessly restore gun rights to people who can’t legally own firearms. An interim rule will give Attorney General Pam Bondi sole authority in the restoration process. This is flat out dangerous.

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— Kris Brown | President, @BradyUnited.org (@krisbrown.bradyunited.org) March 19, 2025 at 4:34 PM