A domestic-violence allegation, protection order, misdemeanor conviction, or felony conviction can create a federal firearm prohibition—but these situations do not all produce the same prohibition or require the same remedy.

A person may be prohibited because of:

  • A qualifying protection order under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8)
  • A misdemeanor crime of domestic violence under § 922(g)(9)
  • A felony conviction under § 922(g)(1)
  • A separate state firearm restriction
  • More than one of these legal grounds

The correct strategy may involve challenging or modifying an order, analyzing whether a conviction satisfies the federal definition, pursuing a pardon or post-conviction remedy, correcting an inaccurate record, or applying for federal relief under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c).

These distinctions matter. DOJ applies a current-status presumption to applicants who remain subject to qualifying domestic-violence protection orders, a ten-year presumption to misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, and a permanent presumption to felony convictions involving intimate-partner or domestic violence.

An application filed under the wrong legal theory—or before the applicable presumption is resolved—may be denied without correcting the underlying problem.

National Security Law Firm represents clients nationwide in complex federal firearm matters involving domestic-violence convictions, protection orders, criminal records, pardons, NICS denials, and § 925(c) firearm rights restoration.

Schedule a confidential federal firearms consultation or call (202) 600-4996.

Three Different Domestic-Violence Firearm Prohibitions

Federal law treats domestic-violence-related firearm disabilities differently depending on the legal event that created them.

Source of prohibition Federal provision Potential remedies
Qualifying protection or restraining order § 922(g)(8) Review, expiration, dissolution, modification, challenge, record correction, or § 925(c)
Misdemeanor crime of domestic violence § 922(g)(9) Predicate-offense analysis, pardon, expungement, set-aside, civil-rights restoration, record correction, or § 925(c)
Felony involving domestic violence § 922(g)(1) Pardon, post-conviction relief, record correction, or § 925(c)
Independent state restriction State law State relief, order modification, pardon, expungement, restoration, or another state procedure
Incorrect or incomplete record Depends on the alleged prohibitor NICS challenge or source-agency/FBI record correction

Before selecting a remedy, the attorney should identify every federal and state basis for the prohibition.

Protection Orders Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8)

Section 922(g)(8) prohibits firearm possession by a person subject to a qualifying court order involving an intimate partner or the intimate partner’s child.

Not every temporary restraining order, civil protection order, no-contact order, or family-court order satisfies the federal statute.

A qualifying order generally must:

  • Have been issued after a hearing of which the person received actual notice
  • Have provided the person an opportunity to participate
  • Restrain the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or the partner’s child, or from engaging in other conduct that would place the person in reasonable fear of bodily injury
  • Include the findings or prohibitory language required by federal law

The precise text, procedural history, service records, hearing notices, and findings should be reviewed. The title assigned to the order under state law does not determine the federal result by itself.

Is the Protection Order Still in Effect?

A § 922(g)(8) prohibition ordinarily depends on a qualifying order that remains in effect.

The analysis should determine:

  • The order’s effective date
  • Its expiration date
  • Whether it was extended
  • Whether an interim order became final
  • Whether the person received actual notice
  • Whether a qualifying hearing occurred
  • Whether the person had an opportunity to participate
  • Whether the order was modified, dissolved, or vacated
  • Whether the protected person falls within the federal definition
  • Whether another prohibition independently applies

An expired order may no longer support a § 922(g)(8) prohibition, but outdated court or NICS records may continue to cause a denial. That situation may require a NICS challenge or FBI firearm-record correction.

Do not assume the firearm prohibition ended without reviewing the order and applicable law.

Should You Apply Under § 925(c) While a Protection Order Remains Active?

A person prohibited under § 922(g)(8) may technically apply for federal firearm rights restoration. DOJ, however, treats remaining subject to the qualifying order as a current-status presumptive disqualifier.

The application ordinarily will be denied absent extraordinary circumstances.

In many cases, the more appropriate first step is to determine whether the order:

  • Actually satisfies § 922(g)(8)
  • Can be challenged through the issuing court
  • Can be modified or dissolved under state law
  • Has already expired
  • Is incorrectly reflected in government records

Section 925(c) should not substitute for available proceedings addressing an order that remains active.

Misdemeanor Crimes of Domestic Violence Under § 922(g)(9)

Section 922(g)(9) prohibits firearm possession by a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

A conviction does not qualify merely because police, a prosecutor, or a court described the incident as “domestic violence.” The offense must satisfy the federal definition in 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(33).

The analysis generally requires:

  • A misdemeanor under federal, state, tribal, or local law
  • An element involving the use or attempted use of physical force or the threatened use of a deadly weapon
  • A qualifying domestic relationship between the defendant and victim
  • Compliance with federal counsel and jury-trial requirements

The conviction may arise under a generally applicable assault or battery statute that does not contain the domestic relationship as a formal element. The relationship may still be established through the record.

Which Relationships Can Trigger § 922(g)(9)?

The federal definition can cover an offense committed by:

  • A current or former spouse
  • A parent or guardian
  • A person who shares a child with the victim
  • A person who cohabits or previously cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian
  • A person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian
  • A person in a current or recent former dating relationship with the victim

Whether a dating relationship qualifies can depend on its length, nature, frequency of interaction, and the time since it ended.

The charging document may not identify the relationship. Police reports, plea records, victim statements, court findings, and other documents may therefore be important.

Special Federal Rule for Certain Dating-Relationship Convictions

Federal law contains a special provision for certain misdemeanor domestic-violence convictions based solely on a current or recent former dating relationship.

In qualifying circumstances, the federal disability may cease to apply after five years from the later of:

  • Entry of judgment; or
  • Completion of the person’s custodial or supervisory sentence

That special treatment is subject to statutory conditions concerning subsequent convictions.

It does not apply to every misdemeanor domestic-violence conviction or every relationship. Convictions involving spouses, former spouses, co-parents, or other independently qualifying relationships may be treated differently.

The complete conviction and relationship record should be reviewed before relying on the five-year dating-relationship provision.

Was the Right to Counsel Protected?

Under § 921(a)(33), a person generally is not considered convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence for federal firearm purposes unless the person:

  • Was represented by counsel; or
  • Knowingly and intelligently waived the right to counsel

If the person was entitled to a jury trial in the jurisdiction, the federal analysis also examines whether the case was tried by a jury or whether the right to jury trial was knowingly and intelligently waived.

Old misdemeanor files may not clearly document those issues. The docket, plea form, hearing transcript, attorney appearance, waiver documents, and judgment may be important.

Does the Conviction Involve the Required Use of Force?

The federal definition generally requires an offense with an element involving:

  • Use of physical force
  • Attempted use of physical force
  • Threatened use of a deadly weapon

A conviction arising from a domestic incident does not necessarily satisfy that definition.

The analysis may require review of:

  • The statute in effect on the conviction date
  • The specific subsection
  • Charging document
  • Plea agreement
  • Factual basis
  • Jury instructions
  • Judgment
  • Applicable federal precedent

A disorderly-conduct, harassment, property-damage, or nonviolent-contact offense may produce a different result from assault or battery. The offense title alone is not enough.

Pardons, Expungements, and Civil-Rights Restoration

Federal law recognizes that certain post-conviction events may eliminate a § 922(g)(9) disability.

Depending on the jurisdiction and remedy, potentially relevant relief includes:

  • A pardon
  • Expungement
  • Setting aside the conviction
  • Vacating the conviction
  • Restoration of civil rights

The precise legal effect matters. A record-sealing order that limits public access may not eliminate the conviction for federal firearm purposes.

The relief must also be examined for continuing firearm restrictions. An order or restoration that expressly preserves a firearm prohibition may not remove the federal disability.

Our guides explain whether an expungement restores firearm rights and when a pardon may restore gun rights.

The Ten-Year § 925(c) Presumption for Domestic-Violence Misdemeanors

A misdemeanor crime of domestic violence creates a ten-year presumptive disqualification under DOJ’s final § 925(c) rule.

The application ordinarily will be denied, absent extraordinary circumstances, if the applicant was convicted of or served any part of the sentence for the offense within the preceding ten years.

The ten years may run from completion of the final sentencing requirement rather than the conviction date.

DOJ broadly defines a sentence to include:

  • Incarceration
  • Home confinement
  • Probation
  • Parole
  • Supervised or unsupervised release
  • Restitution
  • Fines and other monetary obligations
  • Treatment
  • Education or programming
  • Community service
  • Electronic monitoring
  • Other unsatisfied penalties

A person convicted in 2013 who completed probation in 2016 may remain subject to the ten-year presumption until 2026. If restitution remained unpaid until 2020, the relevant period may continue until 2030.

Review our detailed guide to § 925(c)’s five-year and ten-year waiting periods before selecting a filing date.

Later Events Can Restart the Ten-Year Period

DOJ imposes a special restart rule for misdemeanor domestic-violence applicants.

During the ten-year period following conviction or service of any portion of the sentence, the period may begin again if the applicant:

  • Incurs another firearm disability under § 922(g)
  • Is arrested for a felony
  • Is arrested for another misdemeanor crime of domestic violence
  • Is arrested for an offense involving alleged violence or threatened violence
  • Is arrested for an offense involving alleged brandishing or discharge of a firearm
  • Is arrested for an offense involving alleged use of an explosive

If a qualifying event occurs, the ten-year period begins anew.

For example, an applicant who completed a domestic-violence sentence in 2020 might initially expect the presumption to expire in 2030. A qualifying arrest in 2026 could extend the presumptive period until 2036.

Does a Dismissed Arrest Restart the Period?

Not always.

The final rule provides an exception when the applicant presents evidence of:

  • A judicial determination that no misconduct occurred; or
  • A dismissal on the merits of the resulting charges

Not every dismissal is a dismissal on the merits. Charges may be dismissed because a witness did not appear, evidence became unavailable, a diversion program was completed, or the prosecutor exercised discretion without resolving the underlying facts.

The applicant should obtain:

  • Charging documents
  • Dismissal orders
  • Hearing transcripts
  • Judicial findings
  • Prosecutor records
  • Police reports
  • Other evidence explaining the disposition

Even when an arrest does not restart the formal ten-year period, DOJ may still consider the arrest and underlying conduct during its individualized public-safety review.

Felony Domestic-Violence Convictions

A felony involving intimate-partner or domestic violence is treated more severely under DOJ’s final rule.

It generally creates a permanent presumptive disqualification from § 925(c) relief. The same may be true for a felony involving:

  • Assault
  • Battery
  • Stalking
  • Kidnapping
  • Death
  • Sexual assault
  • Brandishing or discharging a firearm
  • Use of an explosive
  • Similar conduct listed in the rule

A permanent presumption does not prevent the person from submitting an application. But the application ordinarily will be denied unless extraordinary circumstances overcome it.

Waiting five or ten years does not cause the permanent presumption to expire.

What Could Constitute Extraordinary Circumstances?

DOJ has not created a fixed checklist.

Potentially relevant considerations may include:

  • The applicant’s age at the time
  • The age of the conviction
  • The applicant’s role in the conduct
  • Whether the event was isolated
  • Reliable evidence materially changing the apparent circumstances
  • The applicant’s acceptance of responsibility
  • Exceptional rehabilitation
  • Treatment addressing contributing conditions
  • A long history without later violence, threats, or domestic incidents
  • Family, professional, and community stability
  • The applicant’s current record and reputation
  • Whether denying relief would infringe the applicant’s Second Amendment rights

Ordinary passage of time and general law-abiding conduct may support an application, but they may not be extraordinary.

A domestic-violence applicant should evaluate the strength of the extraordinary-circumstances evidence before filing because a denial can affect later applications.

Records DOJ Requires in a Domestic-Violence Misdemeanor Case

DOJ instructs applicants prohibited under § 922(g)(9) to provide as many of the following documents as possible:

  • Charging document
  • Underlying investigative reports
  • Document establishing the relationship between the applicant and victim
  • Judgment of conviction
  • Official evidence of the date the applicant completed the final sentencing requirement
  • Plea agreement
  • Factual basis
  • Evidence that the conviction was rendered legally ineffective
  • Evidence of restored civil rights
  • Police reports involving the applicant in domestic violence from the original arrest to the present

These records allow DOJ to evaluate:

  • Whether the offense qualifies under § 922(g)(9)
  • The actual conduct
  • The relationship
  • The sentence
  • The ten-year period
  • Later incidents
  • Post-conviction relief
  • Current risk

A docket summary or commercial background report is rarely sufficient.

What If the Court or Police Records No Longer Exist?

Older domestic-violence cases may involve destroyed or incomplete records.

When specified required documents are unavailable because an official entity failed to maintain them through passage of time, fire, natural disaster, or another reason beyond the applicant’s fault or negligence, the final rule permits a sworn substitute.

The statement must describe:

  • The underlying facts
  • The charges or proceedings
  • The ultimate disposition
  • The efforts made to obtain the records
  • Why the records are unavailable

Potential alternative sources include:

  • Docket entries
  • Plea forms
  • Sentencing records
  • Probation records
  • State criminal histories
  • FBI records
  • Protection-order files
  • Prosecutor files
  • Prior counsel
  • Newspaper archives
  • Post-conviction applications
  • Contemporaneous correspondence

Our guide to missing records in a § 925(c) application explains how to document the search and corroborate the sworn account.

Rehabilitation Evidence in Domestic-Violence Cases

A strong domestic-violence restoration application must address the specific conduct and risk—not merely present general evidence that the applicant is successful.

Depending on the history, relevant evidence may include:

  • Completion of every court-ordered requirement
  • Batterer-intervention programming
  • Anger-management treatment
  • Individual counseling
  • Substance-use treatment
  • Mental-health treatment
  • Evidence of sustained sobriety
  • Evidence of changed conflict-management practices
  • Stable relationships
  • A long period without later threats, violence, or protection orders
  • Employment stability
  • Family responsibilities
  • Community involvement
  • Evidence of compliance with custody and support obligations
  • Credible character references with firsthand knowledge
  • A current professional assessment when appropriate

The application should show what created the risk, what the applicant did to address it, and why the change is durable.

Accountability Matters

An application can lose credibility when it describes a domestic-violence conviction as “just an argument,” automatically blames the other party, or contradicts the plea and court record without support.

A credible account should:

  • Describe the conduct accurately
  • Recognize the harm or fear caused
  • Accept responsibility for the applicant’s actions
  • Explain relevant context without using it as an excuse
  • Identify the factors that contributed to the conduct
  • Describe the concrete work undertaken afterward
  • Support the claimed change with objective evidence
  • Explain why the behavior will not recur

This does not require accepting false allegations. When the official account is inaccurate, the response should identify the discrepancy and support the correction with reliable records.

The Applicant’s Personal Statement

A persuasive personal statement should address:

  • The applicant’s relationship to the other person
  • What occurred
  • The applicant’s role
  • The resulting harm
  • The criminal or civil proceedings
  • The sentence and compliance
  • Treatment or programming
  • Later relationships and conduct
  • Changes in judgment and conflict management
  • Present family and community responsibilities
  • The lawful reason restoration is requested
  • Why firearm possession would not endanger an intimate partner, family member, the applicant, or the public
  • Why granting relief is consistent with the public interest

The statement should be consistent with the charging documents, plea record, judgment, police reports, protection orders, and reference responses.

The Three Character References

Every individual § 925(c) applicant must identify three references who:

  • Are unrelated by blood or marriage
  • Have known the applicant for at least three years
  • Are not prohibited from possessing firearms under § 922(g)

The references must make detailed affirmations under penalty of perjury concerning the applicant’s:

  • Recent criminal conduct
  • Controlled-substance use
  • Alcohol or intoxicant abuse
  • Mental-health condition
  • Character and community reputation
  • Threats or attempted violence
  • Suicide-related behavior
  • Potential danger to the applicant, family members, intimate partners, and the public

In a domestic-violence case, references should know the applicant well enough to address behavior in close relationships—not merely workplace performance.

A prominent professional acquaintance who has never observed the applicant’s personal life may be unable to provide the necessary knowledge.

Can a Former or Current Partner Serve as a Reference?

A spouse cannot serve because references cannot be related to the applicant by marriage.

An unmarried current or former partner may not be automatically excluded by the blood-or-marriage rule, but using that person requires careful judgment. The relationship, knowledge, credibility, voluntariness, safety concerns, and history underlying the firearm disability must all be considered.

No person should be pressured to support an application.

The strongest reference set ordinarily includes independent people with substantial, long-term knowledge of the applicant’s conduct and rehabilitation.

DOJ Can Consider More Than the Conviction

Expiration of the ten-year presumption does not erase the domestic-violence conviction or require approval.

DOJ may consider:

  • Every arrest
  • Charges that did not result in conviction
  • Dismissed charges
  • Diversion
  • Protection orders
  • Police reports
  • Victim-impact information
  • Threats
  • Substance use
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Mental-health history
  • Conduct while serving the sentence
  • Probation violations
  • Satisfaction of restitution and other obligations
  • Time since sentence completion
  • Conduct in later relationships
  • Information from local law enforcement
  • Character and reputation
  • Whether the applicant would endanger intimate partners or others

The application should be prepared for a complete review rather than relying solely on the age of the conviction.

State Domestic-Violence Firearm Restrictions

Federal relief does not automatically remove state or tribal firearm restrictions.

State law may impose a prohibition based on:

  • A protection order
  • A domestic-violence conviction
  • An assault or battery conviction
  • A felony
  • Conditions of probation
  • A firearm-surrender order
  • Another family- or criminal-court proceeding

State law may also impose different definitions, waiting periods, restoration requirements, and firearm-surrender procedures.

A person may need:

  • Modification or dissolution of a state order
  • Expungement
  • State pardon
  • Civil-rights restoration
  • State firearm-rights restoration
  • Record correction
  • Both state and federal relief

Review our guide to federal versus state gun rights restoration before assuming that one proceeding resolves both systems.

What If State Relief Was Already Granted?

State relief may affect a federal firearm disability—but not always.

The analysis should examine:

  • The original offense
  • The authority granting relief
  • The language of the order
  • The statute authorizing relief
  • Whether the conviction was pardoned, expunged, set aside, or vacated
  • Whether civil rights were restored
  • Whether state firearm restrictions remain
  • Whether the order expressly preserves firearm restrictions
  • Whether federal law recognizes the remedy
  • Whether government databases were updated

If the relief removed the federal disability but NICS continues to deny firearm transfers, the next step may be record correction rather than § 925(c).

Domestic-Violence NICS Denials

A NICS denial may identify a domestic-violence prohibition even when the person does not believe they were convicted of a qualifying offense or remain subject to an order.

Potential causes include:

  • A protection order that expired but was not updated
  • A temporary order incorrectly shown as final
  • An offense that lacks the required force element
  • A missing relationship record
  • A conviction entered without the required counsel or jury safeguards
  • A dating-relationship conviction affected by the special statutory provision
  • A pardon or expungement not reflected in the database
  • Mistaken identity
  • A disposition that was never reported
  • An incorrect offense code

The denial reason, NICS Transaction Number, court records, and source-agency information should be reviewed before choosing a remedy.

Which Domestic-Violence Remedy May Apply?

Your situation Potential remedy
Active qualifying protection order Review, modification, dissolution, expiration, or state-court challenge
Expired order still causing NICS denial Source-agency correction or NICS challenge
Misdemeanor may not satisfy § 922(g)(9) Predicate-offense analysis and possible NICS challenge
Qualifying misdemeanor conviction Pardon, expungement, state relief, or § 925(c)
Dating-relationship misdemeanor older than five years Analysis under § 921(a)(33)(C)
Felony involving domestic violence Pardon, post-conviction relief, or § 925(c) with permanent-presumption analysis
State relief granted but records remain inaccurate Record correction or NICS challenge
Federal relief granted but state prohibition remains Separate state relief
Multiple convictions or prohibitions Coordinated remedy analysis

The correct remedy depends on the complete record and governing jurisdiction.

How Much Does Domestic-Violence § 925(c) Representation Cost?

DOJ currently charges a nonrefundable $30 application fee. Additional expenses may include:

  • Electronic fingerprints
  • Criminal-history reports
  • Certified court records
  • Police and investigative files
  • Archive retrieval
  • Professional assessments
  • Treatment records
  • Other supporting evidence

Because domestic-violence § 925(c) matters require additional predicate-offense, relationship, record, timing, later-conduct, and rehabilitation analysis, NSLF’s flat legal fee for comprehensive representation generally begins at $7,500.

The scope and fee are confirmed in writing before representation begins. Fees for a NICS challenge, record correction, pardon, or other remedy are determined separately based on the work required.

Review our federal firearm rights restoration cost guide for additional information.

Why Choose National Security Law Firm?

Domestic-violence firearm cases require careful judgment.

An attorney must be able to analyze the federal predicate offense, protection-order requirements, state law, sentence completion, later conduct, DOJ presumptions, official records, rehabilitation evidence, and public-safety concerns without minimizing the history or overstating what relief can accomplish.

NSLF’s federal firearm rights restoration practice is led by former United States Attorney Duane “DAK” Kees. As a presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed United States Attorney, Dak supervised federal prosecutors and participated in federal decisions involving criminal conduct, evidence, credibility, victims, public safety, and enforcement priorities.

National Security Law Firm began preparing and submitting federal firearm rights restoration matters more than a year before DOJ finalized its rule and opened the public application portal. That early work gave our attorneys practical experience:

  • Evaluating federal firearm prohibitions
  • Reconstructing historical records
  • Analyzing domestic-violence predicates
  • Calculating ten-year periods
  • Investigating later arrests and protection orders
  • Developing rehabilitation evidence
  • Preparing character references
  • Addressing unfavorable facts credibly
  • Adapting pending matters to an evolving federal process

Our integrated practice allows us to evaluate:

  • § 925(c) restoration
  • Presidential and state pardons
  • NICS denials
  • FBI and source-agency record correction
  • Military convictions
  • State and federal post-conviction relief
  • Protection-order issues
  • Independent state firearm restrictions

Our clients have awarded National Security Law Firm 4.9 stars across 298 Google reviews, reflecting the communication, responsiveness, and personal attention clients expect in significant federal matters.

Learn more about what sets NSLF apart in federal firearm rights restoration.

Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic-Violence Gun Rights Restoration

Can I restore gun rights after a domestic-violence conviction?

Potentially. The appropriate remedy may include a pardon, expungement, set-aside, civil-rights restoration, record correction, or § 925(c). The answer depends on whether the conviction was a misdemeanor or felony, whether it satisfies the federal definition, and whether state restrictions remain.

Can I apply under § 925(c) after a misdemeanor domestic-violence conviction?

Yes. DOJ generally applies a ten-year presumption measured by the conviction and service of any portion of the sentence. Later events may restart that period.

Can I apply before ten years have passed?

Technically, yes. The application ordinarily will be denied unless extraordinary circumstances overcome the presumption.

Does the ten-year period begin on the conviction date?

Not necessarily. It may run from completion of the final component of the sentence, including probation, restitution, treatment, community service, or other unsatisfied requirements.

Can a later arrest restart the ten years?

Yes, if it falls within the categories identified by the rule. Evidence of a judicial finding that no misconduct occurred or a dismissal on the merits may prevent the restart provision from applying.

What if the later charge was dismissed?

The reason and form of dismissal matter. A dismissal on the merits is treated differently from a dismissal based on witness availability, diversion, or prosecutorial discretion.

Is a felony domestic-violence conviction subject to the same ten-year period?

Generally no. A felony involving intimate-partner or domestic violence ordinarily creates a permanent presumptive disqualification under the final rule.

Does permanent mean I cannot apply?

No. It means the presumption does not automatically expire. The application ordinarily will be denied unless extraordinary circumstances overcome it.

Does every domestic-violence misdemeanor trigger § 922(g)(9)?

No. The offense, force element, relationship, counsel rights, jury rights, and post-conviction history must satisfy federal law.

Does a protection order automatically create a federal prohibition?

No. The order must satisfy the requirements of § 922(g)(8), including procedural and substantive conditions.

Can I seek § 925(c) relief while the protection order remains active?

You may apply, but remaining subject to a qualifying order creates a current-status presumption. Addressing the order through the issuing court may be the more appropriate first step.

Does an expired protection order automatically disappear from NICS?

Not always. An outdated or incomplete record may require correction by the source agency or a NICS challenge.

Can an expungement restore firearm rights after a domestic-violence conviction?

Sometimes. The federal effect depends on the jurisdiction, legal effect of the order, and whether firearm restrictions remain.

Can a pardon restore firearm rights?

Potentially. The pardon must come from the proper authority and must be analyzed for its effect on the conviction and any continuing restrictions.

What is the special rule for dating-relationship misdemeanors?

Certain convictions based solely on a current or recent former dating relationship may cease to qualify after five years from the later of judgment or sentence completion, subject to statutory conditions concerning later convictions.

Will DOJ consider conduct that did not result in conviction?

Yes. DOJ may consider arrests, dismissed charges, protection orders, threats, police reports, and other relevant information.

Will federal restoration remove state restrictions?

No. Section 925(c) does not automatically eliminate independent state or tribal firearm prohibitions.

Can NSLF represent me nationwide?

Yes. NSLF represents clients nationwide in § 925(c), presidential pardon, NICS, record-correction, military, and other federal firearm matters. Separate state-court representation depends on the jurisdiction and agreed scope.

Get a Complete Domestic-Violence Firearm Prohibition Analysis

Do not assume that every domestic-violence case creates the same prohibition—or that the passage of time automatically restores firearm rights.

NSLF can determine:

  • Whether a protection order satisfies § 922(g)(8)
  • Whether a misdemeanor satisfies § 922(g)(9)
  • Whether the dating-relationship provision applies
  • Whether counsel and jury safeguards were satisfied
  • Whether a pardon, expungement, or restoration removed the disability
  • Whether a ten-year or permanent presumption applies
  • When the sentence ended
  • Whether a later event restarted the ten-year period
  • Whether records are inaccurate or incomplete
  • Whether state restrictions remain
  • Which remedy fits the complete record
  • Whether the evidence supports filing now

Schedule your confidential domestic-violence firearm rights consultation or call (202) 600-4996.

This page provides general legal information based on federal law, the DOJ final rule, and public guidance available as of August 2026. It does not constitute legal advice for a particular person. Domestic-violence firearm restrictions involve fact-specific federal and state questions. Do not possess, receive, transport, ship, or attempt to acquire a firearm unless your eligibility has been confirmed.