The Trump DOJ is giving guns back to felons, including one alleged fake elector

Last month the Department of Justice quietly published a list of 22 names in the Federal Register announcing that these individuals had their federal gun rights restored.

“The Trump DOJ is giving guns back to felons, including one alleged fake elector Last month, the Department of Justice quietly published a list of 22 names in the Federal Register”

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The restorations are part of a broader DOJ push to revive a program that had been dormant for more than three decades.

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Most of the people on the list had decades-old felony convictions for nonviolent offenses.

The list included one clear outlier: Republican Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman, who was indicted in April 2024 by an Arizona grand jury for his role as a fake elector in 2020, pleaded not guilty, faces state felony charges and was one of dozens pardoned by President Trump in November.

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The DOJ defended the restorations, saying recipients were convicted of nonviolent crimes such as passing counterfeit money or receiving stolen vehicles.

“The Trump DOJ is giving guns back to felons, including one alleged fake elector Last month, the Department of Justice quietly published a list of 22 names in the Federal Register”

NPR

The department said “for most recipients, these nonviolent offenses were their only crimes, and nearly all committed these crimes over 20 years ago, with at least four recipients having committed their crimes over 40 years ago.”

The DOJ added, “No one who received relief has been charged with any additional criminal conduct in the time since their convictions.”

Critics raised transparency and public-safety concerns, noting scant details about how recipients were chosen.

They pointed to history: Congress effectively halted the program in 1992 after a Violence Policy Center report showed dangerous outcomes.

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Lawmakers have accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of bypassing that congressional prohibition by moving the program to DOJ.

Brady United president Kris Brown warned the lack of transparency could let violent offenders get guns back and suggested Hoffman's inclusion raises questions about whether evaluations favor political supporters.

Six Democratic lawmakers wrote last year that the DOJ’s actions “appear to have violated the law, flouted the express intent of Congress, and undermined a prudent public safety measure.”