Federal Firearm Rights Restoration in Georgia

What Georgia Residents Should Understand

Georgia treats restoration of civil and political rights and restoration of firearm rights as different processes.

The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles states that ordinary restoration of civil and political rights does not include firearm rights. A person seeking firearm restoration must request the form of relief that includes restoration of the right to receive, possess, or transport a firearm, and the Board notes that a personal interview is required for firearm restorations. Georgia also states that it cannot restore firearm rights for a federal felony conviction.

The Federal Process Is Separate

The U.S. Department of Justice now administers Federal Firearm Rights Restoration through the Office of the Pardon Attorney. DOJ states that people federally prohibited under one or more categories of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) may apply, but the federal process does not automatically restore state or tribal firearm rights.

• Identify the federal disability or disabilities that apply.
• Collect the required court, government, residential-history, and sentence-completion records.
• Keep state-law restoration documents, pardons, expungements, or set-aside orders together with the federal file.
• Do not assume a state result automatically resolves federal law, or vice versa.

Records Worth Organizing Before You Start

DOJ currently encourages applicants to gather required documents before beginning the federal e-application. Depending on the case, that may include charging documents, judgment, proof of completion of sentence requirements, plea-related records, state criminal-history records, prior restoration applications and decisions, and other official records.

Prepare the Federal File Before the 30-Day Clock

DOJ's current FAQ states that once an applicant initiates the e-application, the applicant has 30 days to complete and submit it. That makes advance record collection especially important.