Owners of America (GOA) called on its members and supporters nationwide to take immediate action in support of a proposed rule by the Trump Department of Justice that would restore Second Amendment rights to countless Americans unjustly barred under the decades-old “Schumer Amendment.”
Enacted in 1992, the Schumer Amendment defunded the only federal process available (other than an unlikely pardon) to federally restore firearm rights, effectively imposing a lifetime ban on gun ownership for individuals with certain non-violent convictions or temporary mental health commitments—even if such persons pose no ongoing threat and have long since been rehabilitated. For over 30 years, this provision blocked the ATF from processing any rights restoration requests, denying due process and violating the constitutional rights of countless Americans.
Now, for the first time in over three decades, the DOJ promulgated a rule that would reassign the authority to restore gun rights away from the ATF and back to the Attorney General and Department of Justice.
GOA, Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA), and the Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition (FRAC) submitted a joint comment which outlines the legal foundation for restoring rights, noting the following:
That Congress, through § 925(c), expressly authorized the Attorney General to grant relief to individuals who are not dangerous and whose restoration is “in the public interest”;
That the Schumer amendment’s decades-long funding blockade represented a constitutional abuse, unjustly blocking citizens from reclaiming a core right;
That restoring this process is critical to treating the Second Amendment as a first-class right, not subject to the whims of unelected agency officials;
That non-violent, non-dangerous persons have never historically been stripped of their right to keep and bear arms in this country’s tradition.
GOA has provided a pre-written comment that its members can submit directly to the DOJ during the public comment period:
“I strongly support the Department of Justice’s proposed rule to allow for federal restoration of gun rights pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 925(c). It is not permissible to permanently deny millions of Americans the right to keep and bear arms, when many of them were convicted decades ago of relatively nonserious and entirely nonviolent crimes, or temporarily received mental health treatment and have long since recovered. Yet since the Schumer Amendment took effect in 1992, untold thousands have been denied due process and prohibited from exercising their Second Amendment rights. I urge the DOJ to move forward and fully implement this rule through the creation of a formal process to ensure speedy rights restoration.”
Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America, issued the following statement: “This is a monumental breakthrough after decades of injustice. GOA has long fought for the restoration of constitutional rights stripped by Chuck Schumer’s amendment, and the Trump administration’s rule is a powerful step in the right direction. We urge our members to speak up and flood the DOJ with support.”
Aidan Johnston, Director of Federal Affairs for Gun Owners of America, issued the following statement: “Over the years, GOA has received countless calls and letters from honest Americans pleading for help to restore their Second Amendment right to protect themselves and their loved ones. This rule finally reestablishes the federal gun rights restoration statute which has been defunded and blocked by Senator Schumer for decades. We are proud to support this reform and will be activating our grassroots to ensure the DOJ hears the support of the American people.”
GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center.
