America’s #1 Felon Gun Rights Restoration Law Firm
Got Questions?(800) 892-1185 View Services
Felon gun rights restoration by state

Every state has its own firearm rules. Federal relief is only one part of the answer.

Choose your state for a focused guide to conviction-based firearm restrictions, the principal restoration route, and how the federal 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) process may interact with state law.

Choose Your StateStart Review
Direct answer

Federal approval does not automatically erase every state firearm prohibition.

DOJ’s federal restoration program addresses federal disability. Some states expressly give § 925(c) relief state-law effect in particular circumstances, while others do not. Both layers should be checked before a person relies on restored eligibility.

Compare Services →
Required Documents Checklist →
50 states + Washington, D.C.

Find your state gun-rights guide.

Each page explains the state-law snapshot, principal firearm-rights restoration path, federal overlap, records to gather, and state-specific FAQs. Every state guide also links to a dedicated cost-and-fees page.

AL
AlabamaSome single nonviolent felony disabilities expire after five years; continuing bars may require an express firearm-rights pardon or other qualifying relief.
→ AK
AlaskaTime-based restoration may apply to some nonviolent convictions; pardon review matters for more serious cases.
→ AZ
ArizonaCourt restoration or qualifying court relief; dangerous offenses are treated more strictly.
→ AR
ArkansasPardon or qualifying court relief may restore state firearm rights, depending on the offense and order.
→ CA
CaliforniaPardon or qualifying California felony reduction; 2025 law also recognizes specified out-of-state vacatur, dismissal, expungement, or full pardon for qualifying nonviolent felonies.
→ CO
ColoradoPardon remains central for many listed convictions; a 2025 law created a ten-year judicial-relief route for the new motor-vehicle-theft category.
→ CT
ConnecticutPardon-based relief is a central route; the permitting consequences must also be reviewed.
→ DE
DelawarePardon-based restoration is the primary path for felony-based firearm disabilities.
→ DC
District of ColumbiaThe route depends on the offense category; pardon is especially important for permanent restrictions.
→ FL
FloridaExecutive clemency/pardon is the principal route for Florida felony firearm restoration.
→ GA
GeorgiaPardon or first-offender-specific relief, depending on the conviction and disposition.
→ HI
HawaiiPardon-based restoration.
→ ID
IdahoAutomatic restoration for some cases; pardon review for listed violent offenses.
→ IL
IllinoisAdministrative, judicial, or pardon-based restoration depending on the case.
→ IN
IndianaState police/court restoration after eligibility period or pardon, depending on the offense.
→ IA
IowaGovernor-based restoration or pardon; offense exclusions are critical.
→ KS
KansasTime-based restoration, qualifying court relief, or pardon depending on the conviction category.
→ KY
KentuckyPardon is central; qualifying court relief may alter the conviction record and must be analyzed separately.
→ LA
LouisianaTime-based restoration for certain convictions or pardon; concealed-carry eligibility is a separate issue.
→ ME
MainePardon-based restoration for ordinary firearms.
→ MD
MarylandPardon-based relief is central for conviction-based Maryland firearm disabilities.
→ MA
MassachusettsTime-based eligibility for some offenses; pardon for excluded serious categories.
→ MI
MichiganTime-based restoration for some convictions; additional court conditions or court relief may apply to specified felonies.
→ MN
MinnesotaAutomatic restoration for some cases; court petition or pardon for crimes of violence and other listed offenses.
→ MS
MississippiJudicial restoration or pardon.
→ MO
MissouriPardon or statutory qualifying court relief.
→ MT
MontanaCourt petition or pardon for qualifying weapon-related disabilities.
→ NE
NebraskaPardon-based restoration.
→ NV
NevadaJudicial or executive restoration.
→ NH
New HampshireAnnulment for qualifying offenses or pardon.
→ NJ
New JerseyPardon or gubernatorial restoration.
→ NM
New MexicoTime-based expiration for many felony disabilities or pardon.
→ NY
New YorkCertificate of Good Conduct or pardon, depending on the record and licensing issue.
→ NC
North CarolinaCourt restoration for qualifying nonviolent cases or pardon.
→ ND
North DakotaTime-based restoration, with earlier court relief available for qualifying nonviolent felonies; violent categories are treated more strictly.
→ OH
OhioJudicial relief from disability after the statutory conditions are met; a 2026 Ohio Supreme Court decision clarified that a parallel federal disability from the same conviction does not itself block the state petition.
→ OK
OklahomaFull pardon is a central restoration route for qualifying felony convictions.
→ OR
OregonTime-based restoration, judicial relief under ORS 166.274, qualifying expungement or set-aside, pardon, or federal § 925(c) relief where Oregon law gives that relief state-law effect.
→ PA
PennsylvaniaCourt restoration after qualifying vacatur, full pardon, or satisfaction of the detailed § 6105(d) conditions. Because the federal § 925(c) program is now operating again, the statute’s federal-relief condition deserves current case-specific review.
→ RI
Rhode IslandPardon or offense-specific statutory restoration.
→ SC
South CarolinaExpungement, set-aside, pardon, or restoration of civil rights can remove the conviction from the state firearm-disability definition when the relief does not expressly preserve a firearm restriction.
→ SD
South DakotaTime-based restoration after the statutory period or pardon.
→ TN
TennesseeExpungement, pardon, or qualifying judicial restoration depending on the offense; 2025 amendments narrowed the older certificate route and require careful category-by-category analysis.
→ TX
TexasLimited home-premises restoration after five years; pardon or other qualifying executive relief for broader state restoration.
→ UT
UtahQualifying court relief for many eligible convictions; pardon for excluded violent offenses.
→ VT
VermontState conviction alone may not create a Vermont firearm ban; federal § 922(g) must still be resolved independently.
→ VA
VirginiaCivil-rights restoration followed by circuit-court firearm petition, or pardon.
→ WA
WashingtonJudicial restoration after the required waiting period or pardon.
→ WV
West VirginiaCourt restoration for eligible cases; pardon or qualifying court relief for excluded serious categories.
→ WI
WisconsinPardon-based restoration.
→ WY
WyomingAutomatic restoration after five years for qualifying first-time nonviolent Wyoming felonies; other cases generally require gubernatorial pardon or a certificate restoring rights.
→
New: 51 state + D.C. cost guides explain filing and record costs, the separate federal $30 fee, and the four Felon Justice service levels. Compare restoration rules across all states →
2025–2026 state-law updates

Recent changes worth checking before you rely on an older answer.

We refreshed the individual state guides for statutes and decisions that materially changed or clarified restoration analysis.

AlabamaSB119, effective October 1, 2025, materially broadened Alabama firearm dispossession beyond the prior violence/drug focus. It added a five-year bar for any felony and a continuing bar for three or more separate felonies, while preserving stricter categories.Read updated state guide → CaliforniaAB 1078 added Penal Code § 29800(d)-(f) in 2025. For qualifying nonviolent out-of-state felonies, California may recognize relief from the convicting state if the conviction was vacated, set aside, expunged, or dismissed and firearm rights were restored there, or if a full unconditional pardon restored civil and firearm rights.Read updated state guide → ColoradoHB1171 (2025) added motor-vehicle theft to Colorado’s prohibited-person statute and allows a person in that category to petition for a court order determining lawful firearm possession after ten years have passed since sentence completion.Read updated state guide → North DakotaSB2037 (2025) added specific firearm-disability periods for juvenile adjudications involving violence or intimidation. The adult restoration structure remains time-based, with earlier judicial relief generally limited to qualifying nonviolent felony cases.Read updated state guide → OhioIn State v. Heffley, 2026-Ohio-1990, the Supreme Court of Ohio held that a federal firearm disability arising from the same Ohio conviction does not make the applicant “otherwise prohibited by law” for purposes of R.C. 2923.14. The trial court must still decide the remaining statutory factors and retains discretion to grant or deny relief.Read updated state guide → OregonCurrent Oregon law expressly lists 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) relief alongside ORS 166.274 relief and qualifying expungement in important firearm-transfer provisions. Oregon therefore requires a more nuanced federal/state analysis than a blanket statement that federal relief never matters under state law.Read updated state guide → PennsylvaniaPennsylvania § 6105(d)(3) conditions one restoration route on federal relief from the applicable firearm disability, while also containing an older waiver tied to a lack of congressional funding. DOJ revived § 925(c) administration in 2026, so applicants relying on this subsection should have the current interaction between Pennsylvania and federal law reviewed before filing.Read updated state guide → South CarolinaH.3594, effective in 2024, broadened South Carolina’s general firearm restriction beyond the prior violent-felony focus to crimes punishable by more than one year, while also adopting a federal-style relief clause for expungement, set-aside, pardon, and civil-rights restoration.Read updated state guide → TennesseeHB445 revised Tennessee’s civil-rights restoration procedures in 2025 and repealed the former certificate provision in § 40-29-105(c). The revised procedure does not appear to authorize ordinary judicial firearm restoration for violent, deadly-weapon, felony-drug, domestic-violence, and certain juvenile-disposition categories.Read updated state guide → TexasCCRC’s Texas profile, updated June 2026, notes that the Board of Pardons and Paroles considers firearm-rights restoration only in extreme and unusual circumstances and that its administrative rule asks for proof that an applicant has sought federal relief under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c). That federal step is newly practical now that DOJ has revived the program.Read updated state guide → WyomingWyoming revised § 7-13-105 in 2025 so qualifying first-time nonviolent offenders convicted under Wyoming law receive automatic firearm-rights restoration five years after completing sentence. Violent felonies, multiple nonviolent felonies, and out-of-state convictions generally require personal action by the governor.Read updated state guide →
Two layers of firearm law

Why the state page matters even when § 925(c) applies.

A felony or other disqualifying event can create a federal firearm prohibition, a state prohibition, or both. The federal 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) process is designed to provide individualized relief from applicable federal firearm disabilities. DOJ states that a federal grant does not remove independent state restrictions; several states nevertheless expressly recognize § 925(c) relief in particular state-law contexts.

State restoration can take very different forms

Depending on the jurisdiction, a person may be looking at a pardon, judicial petition, civil-rights restoration, a statutory waiting period, or another firearm-specific procedure. Some states distinguish among violent and nonviolent offenses, weapons types, or conviction categories.

What to verify before relying on a restoration

The exact conviction statute, maximum punishment, sentence-completion date, later history, present residence, and legal effect of any prior court or executive order can all matter. This website is an issue-spotting resource, not authorization to possess or purchase a firearm.

AEO + FAQ

Questions people ask before starting.

State-specific answers are available inside every guide.

Sometimes. Federal law recognizes routes that may affect a firearm disability, and DOJ now has a renewed 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) process for individualized federal relief. State restrictions can still apply independently.

The Justice Department finalized a new federal firearm-rights restoration rule in August 2026 and announced a staged application rollout through the Office of the Pardon Attorney. Relief is discretionary, not automatic.

Not automatically. DOJ states that federal relief does not itself erase independent state restrictions. Some states, however, expressly give federal § 925(c) relief state-law effect in particular contexts, so the law of the conviction state and current residence must be reviewed.

No. State routes can include pardon, judicial restoration, civil-rights restoration, statutory waiting periods, or other firearm-specific procedures, with different exclusions and legal effects.

Start with the final disposition, charging document, sentencing order, proof of sentence completion, criminal-history records, and every prior pardon, civil-rights restoration, or firearm-rights order.

No. A general guide can identify issues, but firearm possession should be based on a current, case-specific review of every applicable federal and state prohibition.

Choose your level of help
Compare federal and state gun-rights restoration services.
Compare Services →
Preparing a federal application?
Know which records to gather before the 30-day application clock starts.
Required Documents Checklist →
Gun rights by conviction

Explore Offense Guides

View All 250 Offenses →
Wire FraudMail FraudBank FraudTax EvasionHealth Care FraudSecurities FraudMortgage FraudPPP Loan FraudMoney LaunderingConspiracyFalse Statements to the Federal GovernmentIdentity Theft