Last updated November 2026 · By Nick Hall, has followed the Section 925(c) restoration program page by page since the August 2026 final rule
Quick take: The Justice Department opened its federal gun rights restoration application to the public on November 4, and the page posted that day says all 5,000 slots are gone. The next window is January 2027, and DOJ’s own schedule says that stage adds 500 more applicants, not an open door.
- What happened: DOJ’s application page, updated November 4, 2026, says the department has reached its limit of 5,000 new applicants and the site is temporarily closed.
- Why it matters: This is the first working route back to federal gun rights under Section 925(c) in more than 30 years, and the first public window filled on day one.
- What’s next: DOJ’s rollout schedule lists January 4, 2027 for 500 more candidates and the start of the application fee.
- Who to watch: The Office of the Pardon Attorney, which now runs the program instead of ATF, and the first grants it has to publish in the Federal Register.
Most federal gun rule stories end in the Federal Register. This one had a front door, and the line filled it the same day it opened. We read every page DOJ has put up on the program so you don’t have to, and the fine print matters more than the 5,000 number.
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Table of Contents
The 5,000 Cap and the Day One Lockout
The Section 925(c) restoration rule was published in the Federal Register on August 20, 2026 and took effect September 21. DOJ did not throw the doors open that day. It staged the launch and posted the dates on the program’s home page.
Invited candidates went first, on September 25, 2026. The public stage opened November 4, when DOJ said “the first 5,000 candidates can apply.” The January 4, 2027 stage is listed as “500 more candidates can apply and the application fee will begin.”
The application page now carries an update dated November 4: “We have reached our limit of 5,000 new applicants, so the application website is temporarily closed. We cannot accept any new applications at this time.” Asked when it reopens, the page answers in two words. January 2027.
If you already started one, you are not locked out. DOJ says anyone with an application in progress can “log in, finish and submit it.” There is no paper version, so nobody gets around the cap by mailing a form.
The clock still runs, though. DOJ’s program FAQ gives applicants 30 days from the moment they start to submit a complete application, or they have to begin again, and with new applications closed I would not want to find out what starting over means this winter.
Why DOJ Is Rationing Section 925(c) Relief
DOJ is blunt about the throttle. “A functioning firearms restoration program has not been in place for over 30 years,” its FAQ says, so the department chose “a phased rollout to test the effectiveness of the online platform and internal procedures with a small group of applicants before opening the process to the public at large.”
January is a payment test, not a reopening. DOJ says the 500-person phase “is intended to specifically test the effectiveness of our online payment portal to collect fees.” Only after that does it promise to “ensure access to the public at large,” and it gives no date for that stage.
Now set that against the demand DOJ itself has claimed. In the August 17 launch release, Pardon Attorney Edward Martin described the program as a pathway “for the 30 million Americans who have lost their Second Amendment rights.” Five thousand slots against that figure is a rounding error.
The fee is the cheap part. DOJ lists a $30 non-refundable application fee paid through Pay.gov, with a waiver or reduction available for indigency, and it warns that fingerprints and records requests can cost extra depending on where you live.
Who Can Apply for Federal Gun Rights Restoration
Eligibility is wider than the “nonviolent felon” shorthand. DOJ’s eligibility page says anyone prohibited under Section 922(g) can apply, which covers felons, fugitives, unlawful drug users, certain mental health statuses, certain aliens, dishonorable discharges, citizenship renunciants, people under domestic violence court orders and domestic violence misdemeanants.
Applying is not qualifying. The rule sets presumptive disqualifiers that an applicant can only beat with “extraordinary circumstances.” Convictions such as rape, robbery, burglary, carjacking, arson, stalking and domestic violence sit on the permanent list. Drug distribution and threats of violence carry a ten-year wait from the end of the sentence, and other offenses punishable by more than a year carry five.
Status counts too. Anyone still serving part of a sentence, under a restraining order for harassment or stalking, or using controlled substances unlawfully faces the same presumption, with one carve-out DOJ spelled out. Marijuana-only users.
People prohibited under Section 922(g)(4) for a mental health commitment or adjudication are expected to try state remedies first. DOJ’s FAQ lists the places with no relief program at all: Arkansas, Montana, New Hampshire, Wyoming, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The paperwork is the real gate, and it is heavier than most people expect: electronic fingerprints taken at a participating post office after the first part of the application, an affidavit from three qualified references, and state criminal records for everywhere you have lived or been arrested since age 18 or in the last 25 years, whichever is shorter.
What the 925(c) Restoration Program Does Not Do
It does not touch state law. DOJ says the process “does not automatically restore state or tribal firearm rights,” so a federal grant leaves any state prohibition exactly where it was. Read your state’s gun laws before you read your NICS result.
It is not automatic, and it is not open-ended. The August release says restoration is “neither automatic nor guaranteed,” the rule says relief covers past conduct only and not any future offense, and a grant won with false statements is void.
And it is not private. DOJ says Section 925(c) requires it to publish the names of people granted relief in the Federal Register.
It does not run through ATF anymore either. DOJ’s FAQ says ATF “previously administered” the program and that every application now goes through the Office of the Pardon Attorney. If your only prohibitor is a federal conviction and you hold a full presidential pardon, DOJ says you do not need this process at all.
If you are granted, DOJ says the FBI updates NICS and you may be issued an RPIN to use when you buy. A denial can be taken to the federal district court where you live.
What Happens Next Before January 2027
If you missed the November window, the practical takeaway is simple: build the file now. Court records, state record checks, three references and any mental health or military documents take weeks to collect, and the 30-day completion clock starts the moment you open an application.
I would not bank on January. Five hundred slots is a tenth of what filled on November 4, so the real target is the wider public stage, whenever DOJ puts a date on it. If DOJ dates that stage soon, the backlog moves. If it does not, this program stays a lottery with paperwork.
Five thousand slots. One day. That is the demand number DOJ now has to staff for.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DOJ federal firearm rights restoration program?
It is the Justice Department's process for restoring federal gun rights under 18 U.S.C. 925(c). The final rule was published in the Federal Register on August 20, 2026, took effect September 21, 2026, and is run by the Office of the Pardon Attorney rather than ATF.
Can I apply for federal gun rights restoration right now?
Not as a new applicant. DOJ's application page, updated November 4, 2026, says it reached its limit of 5,000 new applicants and will reopen in January 2027. Anyone who already started an application can still finish and submit it.
Who is eligible to apply?
Anyone federally prohibited under 18 U.S.C. 922(g) can apply, including felons, unlawful drug users, people with certain mental health statuses and domestic violence misdemeanants. Applying is not the same as qualifying, because the rule sets presumptive disqualifiers that only extraordinary circumstances can overcome.
Does federal restoration give me back my state gun rights?
No. DOJ says the process does not automatically restore state or tribal firearm rights, and a federal grant does not override a state prohibition. Check your state law separately.
How much does it cost to apply?
DOJ lists a $30 non-refundable application fee paid through Pay.gov, and applicants can ask for a waiver or reduction for indigency. Fingerprints and state records can add their own costs. DOJ's rollout schedule says the fee begins with the January 4, 2027 stage.
What documents do I need for a 925(c) application?
Expect court records for any prohibiting conviction, state criminal records for everywhere you have lived or been arrested since age 18 or in the last 25 years (whichever is shorter), electronic fingerprints from a participating post office, an affidavit from three qualified references, and any mental health or military records that apply to you.
What happens if my federal gun rights are restored?
DOJ says the FBI updates NICS and you may be issued an RPIN to use when buying a firearm. Your name and the date of the grant are published in the Federal Register.
Can I challenge a denial?
Yes. DOJ says a denied applicant may seek judicial review in the federal district court where they live, and can reapply later, with the waiting period depending on the reason for the denial.
Related Reading
- DOJ Restores Federal Gun Rights for Nonviolent Felons
- Third Circuit Rules Felon Gun Ban Can’t Reach Two Old DUIs
- Nonviolent Felon Gun Ban Case Gets an October 9 Conference
- Supreme Court Denies DOJ in Fifth Circuit Felon Gun Ban Case
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