Federal Firearm Rights
Restoration Attorney
For the first time in over thirty years, there is a working federal process to apply for restoration of your firearm rights under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c). Find out whether you qualify, and whether anything in your record will stop you.
A Federal Door That Was Closed
for Decades Is Open Again
Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) prohibits certain people from possessing firearms, a framework that traces back to the Gun Control Act of 1968. Federal law has long contained a relief provision at 18 U.S.C. § 925(c), but for most of the last three decades that relief was effectively unreachable, because the federal agency responsible for processing applications had no funding to review them.
That changed on August 20, 2026, when the U.S. Department of Justice published a final rule creating an application process for relief from federal firearm disabilities, codified at 28 CFR 107.1. DOJ calls the program Federal Firearm Rights Restoration, or FFRR, and describes it as the initiative through which the Attorney General can restore federal firearm rights under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c). It is administered through the Office of the Pardon Attorney.
This is new. DOJ is opening the application in phases, everyone involved is still learning how the process works in practice, and there is very little reliable guidance available beyond DOJ's own materials. If you are considering applying, the preparation you do before you file matters more than it normally would.
What the New DOJ Rule Does
On August 20, 2026, DOJ published a final rule titled "Application for Relief from Disabilities Imposed by Federal Laws With Respect to the Acquisition, Receipt, Transfer, Shipment, Transportation, or Possession of Firearms," codified at 28 CFR 107.1. DOJ's program page is published at justice.gov/ffrr.
In practical terms, the rule does four things:
It makes § 925(c) relief real again. DOJ describes FFRR as the initiative through which the Attorney General can restore federal firearm rights under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c). The statute was always on the books. The working process to use it is what is new.
It moves the process to DOJ. The application is handled through the Office of the Pardon Attorney rather than through the agency that historically held this responsibility.
It is entirely online. DOJ accepts no paper applications and no submissions by email. Everything goes through the government's application portal.
It opens in phases. DOJ is opening the application in stages rather than to everyone at once. This is covered in the next section, and it is the part most people get wrong.
What the application requires:
- A completed online application. DOJ identifies the form as OMB Form #1123-0017.
- Electronic fingerprints, submitted through a participating USPS location.
- Character references.
- A government application fee. DOJ's program page describes the current fee and any waivers or reductions. Confirm current fee treatment at justice.gov/ffrr before you rely on it.
There is also a separate track for mental health based prohibitions. If your federal prohibition arises under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(4), which covers certain mental health adjudications and commitments rather than criminal convictions, DOJ's program includes a distinct sub-track for that relief. It is a different model entirely: a different fact pattern, a different evidentiary picture, and a less clear-cut path than a conviction based application. It should not be approached with a criminal conviction playbook.
And there is a review process after you file. DOJ states that applicants must respond to restoration specialists and await a decision with next step guidance. Filing is not the end of the work. There are real people reviewing these and asking follow up questions.
How DOJ Is Opening the Application
The application is not opening to everyone at once. DOJ is rolling the program out in phases, starting with a limited group and widening access over time. DOJ sets the timing of each phase and how many applicants each one accepts, and DOJ can change that schedule.
Because the schedule can change, we do not list phase dates on this page. DOJ posts current phase status, including who can apply right now, at justice.gov/ffrr. Check there for the latest, or call us and we will tell you where things stand for you.
What does not change from phase to phase is the preparation. Confirming whether you are actually eligible, finding out whether anything in your record is a presumptive disqualifier, fixing a problem on your Michigan record that has to be addressed first, gathering character references, assembling records, and getting fingerprints submitted through a participating USPS location all take real time. None of it compresses into the day your window opens. The useful work happens before it.
Phase timing and eligibility for each phase are DOJ's decisions, not ours.
Is Federal Restoration the Right
Question for Your Situation?
Not every firearm prohibition is a federal one, and federal relief does not answer every problem. Before you spend money on a federal application, it is worth being certain you are pursuing the right remedy, and worth knowing whether anything in your history is going to stop the application before it starts.
This may be your pathway if:
- You are prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law, including under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).
- Your prohibition arises from a conviction, and you have been told there is no state level remedy that clears the federal disability.
- You have already resolved, or are separately pursuing, any state level prohibition, and the federal disability is what remains.
- Your prohibition arises under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(4), from a mental health adjudication or commitment rather than a conviction. DOJ's program includes a separate track for this relief, and it is a genuinely different analysis. If this is your situation, say so when you call, because the preparation is not the same.
A different pathway may fit better if:
- Your prohibition arises only under Michigan law. Michigan has its own process, including the set aside procedure under MCL 780.621 and the firearm prohibition under MCL 750.224f, addressed on our Michigan firearm rights restoration page.
- Your prohibition arises from a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence under 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(33) and 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9). That situation has its own analysis and is also addressed on our Michigan restoration page.
- Your immediate problem is a CPL denial, suspension, or revocation, which is a separate matter.
The question that actually decides this: presumptive disqualifiers. DOJ uses the term "presumptive disqualifiers" for categories of applicant history that weigh against restoration. Being permitted to file an application is not the same thing as having an application that can succeed. DOJ's website will tell you the rules. It will not read your record and tell you whether something in it is a presumptive disqualifier, and it will not tell you whether that issue can be addressed before you file or whether it makes the application a waste of your money.
Your Michigan record may need to be fixed first. Many people will be presumptively disqualified under federal law until a problem on their state record is fixed. For some, the right order is a Michigan remedy first, such as a set aside (expungement) of a state conviction, and the federal application second. Filing federally before the state problem is addressed can mean filing an application that was never going to succeed. That is why a review of your full record, state and federal, is part of every federal matter we take on.
Not every conviction qualifies, and not every applicant will be granted relief. DOJ decides these applications. No attorney can promise an outcome, and you should be skeptical of anyone who does.
Not sure which pathway applies to you, or whether something in your record is a problem? Call 313-434-3900 for a case evaluation.
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Why Waiting Is
the Expensive Choice
There is no manufactured urgency here. The urgency comes from how new this program is and from how much work a strong application takes.
This door has not always been open. The federal relief provision at 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) has existed for decades, but for most of that time there was no funded, working process to use it. The program exists today because it was funded and put into operation. Programs that depend on funding and policy priorities can be changed, narrowed, or paused in the future. Nobody can promise how long this window will stay open, and that is a reason to start now rather than wait and see.
Preparation cannot be done on the day. Electronic fingerprints must be submitted through a participating USPS location. Character references have to be identified and secured. Records supporting an application have to be located, requested, and received. If something on your Michigan record has to be fixed first, that is its own process. Determining whether you are eligible at all, and whether anything in your record is a presumptive disqualifier, is analysis, not paperwork. None of that happens in an afternoon.
There is no fallback if the online filing goes wrong. DOJ accepts no paper applications and no email submissions. The portal is the only route.
DOJ has not committed to a timeline. DOJ has given no estimate of how long an investigation takes or when decisions are issued, and after filing you are expected to respond to restoration specialists as they work the file. Every week of delay on your side is added to a review period nobody can predict.
The Rules Are Free.
The Answer to Your Question Is Not.
Everything on this page about how the FFRR program works is public. DOJ publishes it at justice.gov/ffrr, and you should read it. We are not in the business of charging people for information the government gives away.
What the government's website will not do is look at your record.
It will not tell you whether the conviction on your record is a presumptive disqualifier, or whether something on your Michigan record has to be fixed before a federal application makes sense. It will not tell you whether the § 922(g)(4) mental health track is the one that actually applies to you. It will not tell you which character references will help your file and which will do nothing. It will not tell you that a record you assumed was resolved is going to surface in the investigation, or what to do about it if it does.
Those are the questions that decide whether an application is worth filing, and they are the reason to make one phone call before you spend a filing window finding out the hard way.
That is a fifteen minute conversation, not a guess.
Call 313-434-3900How to approach your application
There are two ways to do this, and we will be straight with you about each of them.
Do it yourself.
You can file on your own. DOJ does not require an attorney, and the rules are published at justice.gov/ffrr. We do not recommend it unless you have someone with real legal knowledge in this area helping you. It costs you nothing in legal fees, but you carry the risk of a mistake in a brand new process with no paper fallback.
Let us handle it.
If you do not have the time or the patience to manage it yourself, we take the matter on entirely, from the record review through the application and DOJ's follow up questions. Use our expertise and our knowledge.
Whichever path you choose, no one can guarantee a result. This process is brand new, and everyone involved is still feeling their way through it. What we can do is position you for success and improve your odds.
Tell us which approach works best for you. Call 313-434-3900 or email jm@makowskilegal.com.
How We Handle a
Federal Restoration Matter
Jim Makowski has practiced Michigan firearms law for 25 years. He serves as Corporation Counsel for Michigan Gun Owners, Inc. and as legal advisor to Michigan Open Carry, Inc. Every matter is handled personally.
Any attorney can prepare a federal restoration application. The application itself asks whether an attorney prepared it. What makes the difference is knowledge of firearms prohibitions: knowing which part of federal or Michigan law is actually stopping you, and what has to happen first. Our role is to position you for success and improve your odds. On a full representation matter, we handle all four steps below. On a consultation, we focus on the first step and guide you through the rest while you do the work.
Record review and eligibility analysis, including presumptive disqualifiers
We review the conviction, adjudication, or commitment underlying your prohibition, identify whether the disability is federal, state, or both, determine whether the standard FFRR track or the 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(4) mental health track applies to you, and assess whether anything in your record is a presumptive disqualifier under DOJ's own framework. If a problem on your Michigan record has to be fixed before a federal application can succeed, such as a state set aside, we tell you that and explain the order of steps. If a federal application is not the correct remedy for your situation, we tell you that before you spend money on the filing.
Records, character references, and documentation
Federal applications are decided on what is in front of the decision maker. We identify what records your application requires, help you obtain them, advise on selecting and preparing character references, and organize the file so it is complete and internally consistent the first time rather than after a request for more information.
Application preparation and submission
The application is entirely online, and DOJ accepts no paper or email fallback if something is entered incorrectly. We prepare OMB Form #1123-0017, coordinate the electronic fingerprint submission through a participating USPS location, confirm you are filing into the correct phase, and make sure the file is submitted properly and on time for the window you are targeting.
Follow through with DOJ
DOJ states that applicants must respond to restoration specialists and await a decision with next step guidance. There is a real human review process on the government's side, and requests for additional information are part of it. We track your matter, handle those exchanges, and keep you informed rather than leaving you to wonder.
Federal Firearm Rights Restoration:
Common Questions
It depends on where DOJ is in its rollout. DOJ is opening the application in phases, starting with a limited group and widening access over time, and DOJ can change that schedule. DOJ publishes current phase status at justice.gov/ffrr. Even if your window is not open yet, the preparation can start now, and it takes longer than most people expect.
It is DOJ's own term for a category of applicant history that weighs against restoration. Being allowed to file an application is not the same as having an application that can succeed. DOJ does not review your record for you in advance and tell you where you stand, which is precisely why this is the first thing we look at. If something in your history is a presumptive disqualifier, you want to know that before you file, not eight months later.
Possibly, but often not yet. Many people will be presumptively disqualified under federal law until a problem on their state record is fixed. For some, the right order is a Michigan remedy first, such as setting aside a state conviction, and the federal application second. That is why a review of your full record is the first part of every federal matter we handle.
Possibly, but it is a separate and less clear-cut path. The federal prohibition arising from certain mental health adjudications and commitments falls under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(4), and DOJ's program includes a separate track for relief tied to that provision. It is a different model from a conviction matter: the eligibility analysis, the documentation, and the character reference strategy are not the same. If this is your situation, tell us when you call so we start in the right place.
DOJ charges an application fee, and its program page describes the current amount and any waivers or reductions. Confirm current fee treatment at justice.gov/ffrr rather than relying on any law firm's page, including ours. Attorney fees are separate and are discussed at your consultation.
No. A Michigan set aside under MCL 780.621 is a state proceeding addressing a state conviction. This is a federal application seeking relief under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) from a federal firearm disability. Some people need one, some need the other, and some need to understand how the two interact in their specific situation. That analysis is the first thing we do.
No. DOJ decides these applications, and there is no guarantee of approval. Not every conviction qualifies, eligibility to file is not the same thing as a favorable decision, and DOJ's framework expressly contemplates presumptive disqualifiers. Any attorney who guarantees you an outcome on a brand new federal program is telling you something they cannot know.
DOJ has not published an estimate for how long its investigation takes or when decisions are issued. DOJ does say that after filing, applicants must respond to restoration specialists and await a decision with next step guidance, so expect an active review process rather than a silent queue. Anyone quoting you a specific timeline is guessing.
No. The application is filed by the applicant, and DOJ does not require representation. The form even asks whether an attorney prepared it, and any attorney can. The rules are free at justice.gov/ffrr, and you can read them yourself.
What makes the difference is knowledge of firearms prohibitions, and an answer about your own record: whether anything in your history is a presumptive disqualifier, whether something on your Michigan record has to be fixed first, whether the standard track or the § 922(g)(4) mental health track applies to you, which character references strengthen your file, and what surfaces in the investigation that you have not thought about.
That is why there are two ways to approach this: do it yourself, or have us handle the matter entirely. On a program this new, with an online only portal, no paper fallback, and no published decision timeline, a file that has to be corrected later is an expensive mistake. Our job is to improve your odds, not to read you the rules.
Find Out Whether Your Record
Can Carry This Application
DOJ's website will tell you the rules. It will not tell you whether something in your record is a presumptive disqualifier, whether a problem on your Michigan record has to be fixed first, or whether the mental health track applies to your situation instead. Those answers take a conversation. Tell us whether you want to do it yourself, work with our guidance, or have us handle it entirely.
Makowski Legal Group, PLC. Livonia, Michigan. Michigan firearms law for 25 years.
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