After a decision: what a grant does, and what a refusal costs you
Published Sep 19, 2026
Page updated Oct 9, 2026
You are told by email that a decision letter is waiting in the portal. The Department is blunt about whose job that is: "It is your responsibility to make sure your email address is up-to-date and monitored."
There are four outcomes, not two
Grant. The Attorney General or a designee has decided that restoring your federal firearm rights "is not likely to endanger the public such that it is consistent with the public interest". The FBI updates NICS, and you may be issued an RPIN — a number you use when buying a firearm.
Deny. See below; the reason decides what happens next.
The Department's Final decision and next steps page (read October 8, 2026) says of a denial: "You may seek judicial review in the United States district court where you reside."
Indeterminate. "There was not enough information to grant or deny your application." You can start again, and the Department asks that a new application "include enough additional information to avoid future indeterminate findings".
No Action. An administrative closure — you withdrew, you did not respond to the Department's questions, or a similar reason. You can start again.
What a refusal costs, and this is the part to read twice
28 CFR 107.70 and the Department's FAQ set out the waiting rules:
| Why you were refused | When you can realistically reapply |
|---|---|
| A permanent presumptive disqualifier | "You will remain disqualified." |
| A time-limited (5- or 10-year) presumption | Wait until that presumption expires |
| A current status | Wait until the status changes |
| You had not yet applied to an available mental-health relief programme | The refusal itself adds no further presumption (28 CFR 107.70). Apply to that programme first. |
| Any other reason | "You will have a 5-year presumptive disqualifier in addition to whatever your initial firearm disability was." |
That last row is the one that catches people. A refusal for "other reasons" leaves you further back than you started. Reapplying without addressing the stated reason is how people turn a delay into five years.
Your name is published if you are granted
The Department: "Under 18 USC 925(c), the Department is required to publish the names of those who have received relief in the Federal Register." The rule repeats it at 28 CFR 107.20(c): a notice "shall be promptly published in the Federal Register, together with the reasons therefor".
This website does not republish those names, does not index them, does not mirror them and does not make them searchable — and it never will.
A grant can be undone
28 CFR 107.80: relief is "void ab initio" if the applicant wilfully subscribed untrue material matter or wilfully omitted material information. The application also requires you to disclose past convictions "even if they were expunged, pardoned, set aside, or similarly amended by a post-conviction event" — so leaving out a sealed case is not a safe simplification.
And a grant still does not touch your state
See your state's route.
This is a private website, not a government site. The official site is justice.gov/ffrr. Information with sources and check dates — not legal advice, and never a decision about you.
Sources
- DOJ — Final decision and next steps — checked Oct 8, 2026
- DOJ — Frequently asked questions — checked Oct 8, 2026
- Final rule, 91 FR 54054 (20 August 2026) — official text — checked Oct 8, 2026
Private website. Not a government site, and not affiliated with the United States Department of Justice, the Office of the Pardon Attorney or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Official site: justice.gov/ffrr. General information with sources and check dates — not legal advice, and never a decision about any person. We do not file applications, we do not represent anyone, and we take no fee that depends on any outcome. We never tell you whether a state remedy cures your federal bar; that is a question for an attorney.