A full, unconditional pardon often restores firearm rights lost due to a conviction, but the effect depends heavily on state law and the specific terms of the pardon. While a pardon typically removes federal firearms disabilities, it must completely eliminate the effects of the conviction. Some jurisdictions require additional, specific legal action to restore rights.
Restoration: The right to possess a firearm lost by virtue of a conviction under California law may be restored by pardon based on a certificate of rehabilitation except if the person has ever been convicted of a felony involving the use of a dangerous weapon.
In general, there are two basic options to have your gun rights restored after a conviction. They include having your felony case reduced to a misdemeanor and receiving a pardon from the Governor of California.
The President of the United States may pardon anyone who commits a federal offense against the United States. They may also pardon anyone who commits a federal offense against the District of Columbia. The president cannot grant pardons for violations of state laws.
List of people granted executive clemency in the second Trump presidency. In his role as the 47th president of the United States (January 20, 2025 – present), Donald Trump granted executive clemency to more than 1,600 individuals as of July 23, 2025, all of whom were charged or convicted of federal criminal offenses.
Of the acts of clemency, 1,715 were commutations (including 504 life sentences) and 212 were pardons. Most individuals granted executive clemency by Obama had been convicted on drug charges, and had received lengthy and sometimes mandatory sentences at the height of the war on drugs.
A pardon has many benefits, but it does not erase your criminal history.
A: Yes, under certain circumstances. A convicted felon may be able to restore their gun rights through one of three methods: expungement of their felony, filing a petition to restore firearm rights, or receiving a pardon from the governor.
States that restore gun rights to felons vary widely, with some offering automatic restoration after sentence completion (like South Dakota for non-violent crimes) or via petition (like Virginia, North Carolina), while others have complex processes or limited restoration, often tied to federal law changes, but generally, all states prohibit gun rights unless specifically restored, with Vermont being an exception to handgun restrictions. Key factors for restoration include the type of crime, time since release, and whether civil rights like voting are also restored.
The power thus conferred is unlimited, with the exception stated. It extends to every offence known to the law, and may be exercised at any time after its commission, either before legal proceedings are taken, or during their pendency, or after conviction and judgment.
The most friendly state for felons is Vermont, where no felons are disenfranchised and no voting restrictions.
There are no limits to how many people the President may pardon. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for example, pardoned 2,819 individuals during his time in office – more than any other President. President Barack Obama pardoned 212 individuals during his time in office.
Under the Constitution, the President has the authority to grant pardon for federal offenses, including those obtained in the United States District Courts, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and military courts-martial. The President cannot pardon a state criminal offense.
In April 2024, he was indicted on charges related to the 2020 election in Arizona. He was later disbarred in the state of New York in July, and in the District of Columbia in September. In November 2025, Trump pardoned Giuliani.
Yes, Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, father of Jared Kushner, in December 2020 for crimes including tax evasion and witness tampering, granting a full pardon in the final weeks of his presidency. The pardon was controversial, as Kushner had been convicted of intimidating a witness who was his brother-in-law and had cooperated with federal authorities in an investigation, a case prosecuted by Chris Christie when he was U.S. Attorney.
On 17 January 2017, three days before leaving office after eight years in the White House, President Barack Obama commuted one military death sentence and one federal death sentence. The prisoner in each case will now serve life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Clinton issued 140 pardons as well as several commutations on his last day of office, January 20, 2001. When a sentence is commuted, the conviction remains intact; however, the sentence can be altered in a number of ways.