DOJ's New Rights Restoration Portal Draws Instant Flood of Applicants

The DOJ's long-dormant federal rights restoration process is finally live, giving nonviolent felons a path to get their Second Amendment rights back for the first time in over three decades, but the program's future funding may become a political battleground once Democrats have a say in next year's budget.

Key points

• Portal opened this week: The DOJ's rights restoration site went live to the general public, and Bearing Arms reports the first batch of 5,000 applications filled up almost immediately.
• Phased rollout: Another 500 applicants get access on January 4 to test the department's payment system, with a much larger opening expected sometime next year.
• Massive demand anticipated: The DOJ reportedly expects more than 300,000 applications in the program's first year.
• Funding workaround: Congress has refused to fund this ATF program since the early 1990s, so the DOJ is running it directly using reallocated funds while also requesting extra money from Congress for staffing.
• Political risk ahead: Bearing Arms warns Democrats could target the program's funding through FY2027 appropriations bills or continuing resolutions rather than a standalone bill, since a direct defunding effort would likely face a Trump veto they can't override.

Quick take

This is a real shot for people who made a mistake decades ago and have been law-abiding ever since. It's not automatic — applicants still face a background investigation and have to convince the Attorney General they're not a danger to the public. Whether this program survives the next budget fight is the real question worth watching.

Read the full story: bearingarms.com