Gun Rights
56 Celebrity Felony Cases: Could Federal Gun Rights Restoration Apply?
There is no honest way to say that a celebrity—or anyone else—will receive federal firearm-rights restoration from a headline alone. DOJ now uses current-status, permanent, 10-year, and 5-year presumptive disqualifiers, while also reviewing the applicant’s full record and reputation. Some names on the list involve old nonviolent convictions; others involve violent conduct DOJ treats as permanently presumptive; and several entries are not clean current-felony examples because the conviction was overturned, pardoned, occurred abroad, the person is deceased, or charges rather than a final conviction.
The current DOJ framework in plain English
DOJ says anyone currently federally prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) may apply for Federal Firearm Rights Restoration. But an applicant can face a presumption of denial based on current status or prior conduct. The official presumptive-disqualifier guidance currently places felony conduct involving death, sexual assault, domestic violence, burglary, robbery, assault or battery, stalking, and several other violent categories in a permanent presumptive category. Drug trafficking, certain firearm conduct, threats, explosives, and animal abuse can trigger a 10-year presumption when the conviction or sentence falls within the last ten years. Other felonies can trigger a 5-year presumption. A person still incarcerated or serving any part of a sentence faces a current-status presumption.
DOJ also makes clear that it can look at the underlying conduct, not just the title of the offense. That is why the short summaries below are orientation only.
56 celebrity felons list
The “restoration note” below is not a prediction or legal opinion. It identifies the obvious record issue that would need to be resolved before a serious federal or state firearm-rights analysis.
| Name | Crime | Year | Restoration Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | 2024 New York falsifying-business-records conviction | 2024 | He would qualify, even if he wasn’t the President. |
| R. Kelly | Federal racketeering and sex-trafficking convictions involving sexual exploitation | 2021 | Incarcerated individuals do not qualify. Even after his release it is unlikely R Kelly would get his gun rights restored. |
| Bill Cosby | Pennsylvania aggravated-indecent-assault conviction | 2018 | The Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated the conviction in 2021. For better or worse Bill is able to carry firearms.. |
| Zachery Ty Bryan | 2024 DUI and misdemeanor charges | 2024 | Typically DUI’s do not carry an incarceration of over 1 year. So Mr. Bryan would not be restricted to federal gun prohibition. |
| Suge Knight | Voluntary manslaughter conviction and lengthy state sentence | 2018 | Still-serving-sentence status is a current presumptive disqualifier; conduct involving the death of another person is also a permanent presumptive category under DOJ’s rule. You will likely never see Suge with a legal gun again. |
| Chris Brown | Felony assault involving an intimate partner | 2009 | DOJ’s current permanent category includes intimate-partner/domestic violence and felony assault or battery. The age of the case does not remove that permanent presumption. |
| Courtney Love | Drug-possession conviction; separate assault matter. | 2003-2004 | The old drug-possession matter may be outside the time-based five- and ten-year windows, but the exact conviction history and any assault conviction must be verified. |
| Stephen Fry | Foreign theft matter | Foreign case | A foreign conviction is not automatically the same as a U.S. §922(g)(1) felony. U.S. status, immigration law, and any domestic conviction would need separate review. |
| Mark Wahlberg | Youth assault conviction in Massachusetts | 1988 | If the operative conviction is a qualifying felony assault/battery, DOJ’s current rule places felony assault or battery in a permanent presumptive category, regardless of age. |
| Snoop Dogg | Older drug and firearm-related cases. | 1990 / 2007 | Certain firearm conduct and drug trafficking can trigger a ten-year presumption when recent. Because these matters are old, exact convictions, sentence-completion dates, and any later relief control. Snoop has a good chance of firearms restoration. Call us Snoop!! |
| Lil Wayne | New York weapon case; later federal §922(g)(1) case | 2007 / 2020 | President Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon for Lil Wayne’s 2020 federal §922(g)(1) conviction in 2021. Separate state convictions or prohibitors would still need their own analysis. |
| Eminem | Concealed-weapon and assault-related plea | 2000 | The exact felony/misdemeanor classification matters. Firearm threats and assault can fall into more serious DOJ categories, so the judgment—not the celebrity summary—controls. |
| 50 Cent | Drug-distribution/possession case with firearm found during search | 1994 | Drug trafficking is subject to DOJ’s ten-year presumption when conviction or sentence service falls within the last ten years. This matter is much older, but the full record must still be reviewed. |
| Mike Tyson | Rape conviction | 1992 | DOJ lists rape, sexual abuse, and sexual assault in its permanent presumptive-disqualifier category. No gun rights for Mike… |
| Lil’ Kim | Federal perjury and conspiracy convictions | 2005 | An old nonviolent perjury/conspiracy case generally does not match DOJ’s listed permanent violent categories by title; the five-year other-felony presumption would ordinarily depend on sentence timing and underlying facts. Her rights should be restored. |
| Yasmine Bleeth | Felony drug case | 2001 | The matter is old. The key questions are the exact disposition, whether it was trafficking or possession, sentence completion, and any later prohibiting conduct. |
| Tim Allen | Federal cocaine-trafficking conviction | 1978 | Drug trafficking is a ten-year presumptive category when recent. A 1970s case is far outside that time window if all sentence requirements ended decades ago, though relief remains discretionary and record-specific. |
| Martha Stewart | Federal conspiracy, obstruction, and false-statements convictions | 2004 | These are old nonviolent federal convictions. They do not match DOJ’s listed permanent violent categories by title; exact sentence completion and later history remain central. Martha should be at the firing range whenever she wants. |
| Michael Vick | Federal dogfighting conspiracy | 2007 | Animal abuse is in DOJ’s ten-year presumptive category when recent. The offense is old enough that sentence-completion dates become critical to whether that time-based presumption still applies. |
| Tom Sizemore | Assault/battery and later drug matters | 2003-2009 | Sizemore died in 2023, so federal restoration is no longer a live issue. His entry remains here because the reference list includes him. |
| Christian Slater | Assault and concealed-weapon matters | 1989-1997 | Exact dispositions matter. A qualifying felony assault/battery falls within DOJ’s permanent category; a decades-old non-felony weapon case may be analyzed differently. |
| Nick Nolte | Counterfeit-document case | 1965 | This is an exceptionally old nonviolent matter. The exact conviction classification and any later record would determine whether there is a current federal disability at all. |
| Mick Jagger | United Kingdom drug-possession case | 1967 | This is a foreign matter and not automatically a U.S. felony disability. Any U.S. firearm analysis would require citizenship/immigration status and domestic records. |
| Robert Downey Jr. | California drug and firearm-related convictions | 1996-2001 | Downey received a California gubernatorial pardon in 2015. A pardon can alter the analysis, but the precise legal effect on federal and state firearm restrictions must be determined from the actual order and conviction history. |
| Tupac Shakur | Aa 1993 shooting charge involving off-duty officers | 1993 | Shakur died in 1996, but if he was alive he was never convicted and would be allowed to possess guns. |
| James Brown | Theft, drug, weapon, and assault-related history | 1950s-1990s | Brown died in 2006. But digging into the full file and details would reveal if he would be allowed restoration. |
| Randy Quaid | Felony residential-burglary charge | 2010 | All charges and also notes other charges were dropped. Randy never lost his gun rights. |
| Pete Rose | Federal tax-evasion conviction | 1990 | Rose died in 2024. Historically, tax evasion is a nonviolent offense and would ordinarily be analyzed separately from DOJ’s permanent violent categories. He may never be in the Hall of Fame but is extremely likely his gun rights would be restored. |
| Rip Torn | Burglary/firearm-related case while intoxicated | 2010 | Torn died in 2019. Burglary is listed by DOJ as a permanent presumptive-disqualifier category if the conviction qualifies. |
| Robert Mitchum | Marijuana case | 1949 | Mitchum died in 1997. But would easily qualify today. |
| Danny Trejo | Older drug, weapon, and assault convictions | 1960s | The age of the record is substantial, but exact convictions matter because felony assault can be permanently presumptive while old drug trafficking is handled under a time-based category. |
| Chuck Berry | Mann Act / sex-related federal conviction involving a minor | 1960 | Berry died in 2017. Sexual-offense facts would be highly significant under today’s DOJ rule. |
| T.I. | Federal machinegun/silencer and felon-in-possession case | 2007-2009 | Certain firearm conduct is a ten-year presumptive category when recent. Because the sentence is old, the exact completion date and underlying predicate conviction would control the current analysis. |
| Allen Iverson | 1993 Virginia maiming-by-mob convictions | 1993 | The Virginia Court of Appeals reversed the felony convictions in 1995, and prosecutors did not retry them. Gun rights fully restored after reversal. |
| Darryl Strawberry | Drug, probation, and related criminal matters | 1999-2005 | The matters are old, and would likely qualify for restoration of firearm-rights. |
| David Carradine | 1974 assault/mischief matter | 1974 | Carradine died in 2009. The facts of the assault would tell if he were to qualify, and of course still be alive. |
| Flavor Flav | Assault conviction and later felony charges | 1991-2012 | A qualifying felony assault can trigger a permanent presumption, but the actual judgments must be separated from arrests and charges. |
| O. J. Simpson | Nevada robbery/kidnapping/weapon convictions | 2008 | Simpson died in 2024. Robbery and kidnapping are permanent presumptive categories under DOJ’s current rule. |
| Tonya Harding | Felony conspiracy to hinder prosecution | 1994 | The conviction is old and nonviolent by title. The exact Oregon legal effect, sentence completion, and any restoration already obtained would control a current analysis. |
| Merle Haggard | California burglary and escape convictions | 1958 | Governor Ronald Reagan pardoned Haggard in 1972. Haggard died in 2016. The case is historically useful because it shows how clemency can materially change a conviction’s legal consequences. |
| Jeffrey Jones | Child-pornography felony / sex-offender registration | 2003 | DOJ treats certain current sex-offender-registration status as a current presumptive disqualifier, and the underlying conduct may create additional barriers. Current registration status and exact law would have to be checked. He would not likely qualify. |
| Rae Carruth | Conspiracy to commit murder and related violent offenses | 2001 | Conduct involving death, attempted murder, assault, and shooting into an occupied vehicle falls within or closely parallels DOJ’s permanent violent categories. |
| Charles S. Dutton | Manslaughter conviction from youth | 1967 | A conviction involving the death of another person is a permanent presumptive category under DOJ’s current rule, even when very old. |
| Shyne | Attempted murder, assault, and reckless-endangerment convictions | 2001 | Violent assault conduct falls within DOJ’s permanent categories. His deportation and non-U.S. citizenship/residency issues would also require separate federal analysis. |
| Rubin Carter | Murder convictions later overturned | 1966 / overturned 1985 | A federal court set aside the convictions in 1985. Carter died in 2014. The overturned murder conviction should not be presented as a current felony disability. |
| Remy Ma | Attempted murder, assault, and weapons convictions | 2008 | Felony assault and similar violent conduct fall within DOJ’s permanent presumptive categories; sentence completion does not by itself remove that presumption. |
| Donté Stallworth | DUI manslaughter conviction | 2009 | DOJ’s permanent category includes felony conduct involving the death of another person. |
| Vanilla Ice | Firearm-threat case and later domestic-assault history | 1991-2001 | The exact conviction level matters. Threats/firearm conduct can be time-based, while qualifying intimate-partner violence or felony assault can be permanently presumptive disqualifiers. |
| Stephanie Pratt | Hawaii felony theft conviction | 2007 | An old nonviolent theft felony generally does not match DOJ’s permanent categories by title. The current effect depends on sentence completion, state law, and any later record. |
| Amy Locane | Vehicular-homicide conviction | 2012 | Felony conduct involving the death of another person falls within DOJ’s permanent presumptive category. Her resentencing history also makes exact sentence-completion dates important. |
| Vince Neil | Vehicular-manslaughter conviction | 1985 | Conduct involving the death of another person is listed as a permanent presumptive category under DOJ’s current rule, despite the age of the case. |
| Lane Garrison | Vehicular-manslaughter conviction | 2007 | The death-of-another-person category is permanent under DOJ’s current rule if the offense qualifies as a felony. |
| Shelley Malil | Attempted-murder and assault-with-a-deadly-weapon convictions | 2010 | Felony assault and attempted violent conduct fall within DOJ’s permanent presumptive categories. |
| Phil Spector | Second-degree murder conviction | 2009 | Spector died in 2021. Murder is plainly historical here; conduct involving death is a permanent disqualifying category under today’s rule. |
| Jamie Waylett | United Kingdom violent-disorder and property-damage offenses | 2012 | This is a foreign conviction. A U.S. federal firearm analysis would require separate questions about immigration/citizenship status and whether any domestic prohibitor exists. |
| Ja Rule | New York weapon conviction and later federal tax-evasion conviction | 2007 / 2011 | The tax case is nonviolent and old; the weapon case requires separate state/federal analysis. Certain firearm conduct is time-based under DOJ’s current rule, while state restrictions can remain independently important. |
The most important lesson: the reference list is not a legal database
A celebrity list can be a useful starting point, but it should not be used as proof that someone currently has a felony firearm disability. The Ranker list includes people whose convictions were later overturned, people who received pardons, foreign convictions, deceased people, and entries that describe charges rather than a final felony judgment.
Examples matter. Allen Iverson’s 1993 felony convictions were reversed by the Virginia Court of Appeals in 1995. Rubin Carter’s murder convictions were set aside by a federal court in 1985. Bill Cosby’s Pennsylvania conviction was vacated in 2021. Merle Haggard received a California gubernatorial pardon from then-Governor Ronald Reagan in 1972. Lil Wayne received a full presidential pardon for his 2020 federal §922(g)(1) conviction in 2021. Those legal events can radically change the firearm-rights analysis.
What old nonviolent convictions can teach
Cases such as older tax, fraud, perjury, theft, and some drug offenses illustrate why time since sentence completion matters. Under the current DOJ rule, the automatic five-year presumption for “other” felonies and the ten-year presumption for specified drug-trafficking or firearm conduct are time-limited. That does not mean an old felony automatically disappears. It means the applicant may no longer be caught by that particular timing presumption if the sentence was fully completed long ago and no other presumptive disqualifier applies.
A 30-year-old drug conviction is a good example. It can still create a federal firearm disability today, even after decades out of custody. But if the conduct was not permanently disqualifying and the sentence ended more than ten years ago, the time-based presumption may be very different from the one facing a person whose trafficking sentence ended last year.
Why violent offenses are different under the 2026 rule
DOJ’s current rule does not treat all old convictions alike. A very old felony involving death, sexual assault, domestic violence, robbery, burglary, assault, stalking, or similar conduct can remain in a permanent presumptive category. In those cases, the passage of decades can still be relevant to the overall record and rehabilitation story, but it does not erase the permanent presumption.
Pardons, reversals, and state relief can change the starting point
A conviction that has been overturned is not the same thing as a valid current conviction. A pardon can also materially change the legal consequences of a conviction. DOJ’s current FAQ states that a full presidential pardon removes the federal firearm disability resulting from the pardoned federal conviction, while warning that a separate state conviction or another independent federal prohibitor can remain.
State relief is more technical. A pardon, expungement, set-aside, or restoration of civil rights may affect whether a state conviction continues to count under federal law, but the legal effect of the actual relief order must be reviewed. See the state gun-rights guides and the Full Restoration Application for the record-based questions that matter.
How Felon Justice may be able to help
If your situation resembles one of these public examples, the useful question is not “Which celebrity am I most like?” It is: what does my actual judgment, sentence-completion record, state law, and later history show?
- Start with the Eligibility Review.
- Compare your conviction with the offense-specific gun-rights guides.
- Review the law of the conviction state and your current state in the 50-state section.
- Gather the court records and sentence-completion documents required for the Full Restoration Application.
- Use the Gun Rights Restoration FAQ for questions about references, fingerprints, timing, and DOJ presumptions.
Frequently asked questions
No. Five- and ten-year periods relate to specific DOJ presumptions. The underlying federal firearm disability can continue unless it is legally removed or relief is granted.
Yes. A qualifying old felony can still create a federal disability. The age of the conviction can change which DOJ presumption applies, but it does not automatically restore firearm rights.
An overturned conviction is materially different from a valid current conviction. The actual appellate order, final disposition, and any remaining convictions should be reviewed before deciding whether a federal disability remains.
DOJ currently says a full presidential pardon removes the federal firearm disability resulting from the pardoned federal conviction. Separate state convictions or other federal prohibitors can still remain.
No. The federal effect of state relief depends on what the order actually does and whether firearm restrictions remain under the law of the convicting jurisdiction.
DOJ currently treats incarceration or serving any part of a sentence as a current-status presumptive disqualifier, requiring extraordinary circumstances to overcome the presumption.
Because the list includes overturned convictions, pardoned cases, foreign matters, deceased people, and some entries describing charges instead of a final felony conviction.
Important: This article uses public reporting as a starting point and does not determine any named person’s current legal right to possess a firearm. Do not rely on a celebrity comparison, website article, pending case, or old conviction date as authorization to possess, receive, purchase, transport, or use a firearm.
General information only. This article is not legal advice and is not permission to possess, receive, transport or purchase a firearm. Verify the current law and the legal effect of your actual court orders.
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