HOPWOOD & SINGHAL PLLCFederal Firearm Rights Restoration
Current Status

Where things stand.

Apply for 925(c) relief. Sue in federal court. Or hire counsel to weigh both.

This timeline is based on the current INTERIM rule.

The eligibility rules described on this site come from the DOJ's July 2025 rule, which is an interim rule, but which is the rule that is guiding current applications and grants of restoration. The final rule may change eligibility requirements. We will update this site when a final rule is published.

Timeline

  1. Feb 2025
    Executive Order 14206

    Protecting Second Amendment Rights — President Trump directs the Attorney General to review federal firearm regulations.

  2. Mar 20, 2025
    First interim rule

    DOJ moves 925(c) authority from ATF to the Attorney General (90 Fed. Reg. 13,080).

  3. Mar 31, 2025
    First batch of grants

    The Attorney General issued the first grants of relief to applicants under the first interim rule.

  4. Jul 22, 2025
    Second (and current) interim rule

    DOJ publishes a proposed rule (90 Fed. Reg. 34,394) laying out the application process, presumptive disqualifiers, and waiting periods.

  5. Oct 20, 2025
    Public comment period closed

    The comment window on the proposed rule closed.

  6. Feb 6, 2026
    Second batch of grants

    The Attorney General issued a second batch of grants to individuals who applied under the current interim rule.

  7. Pending
    Final rule

    Still pending. The DOJ's online application form is "coming soon" and will launch after the final rule is published. However, the Office of the Pardon Attorney is currently accepting and processing applications under the current interim rule. 

What's actually happening right now

Even before the final rule, the Department of Justice has granted relief in a number of cases — largely for people who first filed federal lawsuits challenging their prohibition, where the government offered the 925(c) application route as an alternative to litigation. In other words: though filing a federal lawsuit is not required to receive 925(c) relief, doing so may expedite your path to receiving restoration of your federal firearm rights. As of today, the Office of the Pardon Attorney is processing these applications. That may change in the future, and we will update this site when it does. 

Official links