The Kentucky Guide to Federal Firearms Rights Restoration under 18 U.S.C. § 925(c)

By the attorneys of Bluegrass Gun Rights, a practice of Clark + Harris, PLLC · Updated August 20, 2026

What § 925(c) is

Federal law bars several categories of people — most commonly anyone with a felony conviction — from possessing firearms. 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) is the safety valve: it lets the Attorney General grant relief from that federal disability when an applicant shows he or she “will not be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety” and that relief would not be contrary to the public interest.

From 1992 through 2024 the remedy existed only on paper: Congress barred ATF from spending money to process applications. In 2025, the Department of Justice moved the program out of ATF, published proposed rules (90 Fed. Reg. 34394), and granted relief to its first applicants. On August 20, 2026, DOJ published the final rule, effective September 21, 2026 — the date the Department begins accepting applications. The online form (OMB No. 1123-0017) is being stood up now, with a $30 filing fee (waivable for indigent applicants).

Why it matters double in Kentucky

Kentucky's felon-in-possession statute, KRS 527.040, contains an express exception for a person granted relief under the federal Gun Control Act. That means a § 925(c) grant is uniquely powerful for Kentuckians: one federal application addresses both the federal prohibition and the state felon-in-possession statute for most people. Compare the alternatives: a governor's pardon helps under state law but does not remove the federal disability for a state conviction unless rights are fully restored; expungement under KRS 431.073 helps many people but isn't available for every conviction. For many Kentuckians with old convictions, § 925(c) is the cleanest path that exists.

Who is likely to qualify — and who isn't

Under the final rule, some applicants face presumptive denial absent extraordinary circumstances:

Presumptively disqualified (final rule)	Favorable profile
Violent crime convictions (murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery, assault, stalking, terrorism and similar); felony hate crimes; brandishing/discharge offenses	Nonviolent conviction(s)
Felony firearms offenses; drug distribution (10-year lookback)	Offense unrelated to guns or trafficking
Current SORNA registrants; misdemeanor domestic violence within 10 years; aggravated domestic-violence offenses	No domestic-violence history
Any felony sentence completed within the last 5 years; anyone still under supervision	Sentence complete many years ago — often decades
Currently subject to another prohibitor (fugitive, unlawful drug user, restraining order, unlawfully present); recent alcohol-related offenses	Clean record since; steady work and community ties

The strongest applications we see share a pattern: a single, old, nonviolent conviction; a completed sentence; a long stretch of law-abiding life; and people willing to vouch for you in writing. If that sounds like you, run the two-minute eligibility check.

What the application requires

• Certified court documents for every conviction — charging document, judgment, and sentence
• Criminal-history records from every jurisdiction where you've lived
• Fingerprints (DOJ instructions call for electronic submission)
• Affidavits from three character references not related to you
• Your personal affirmation, under penalty of perjury, and notice to local law enforcement
• A $30 federal filing fee (fee waivers available)

The government's form may be simple. The record behind it is not — certified copies from courts that may have archived or microfilmed decades-old files, records from every state you've lived in, and affidavits that actually say something. That preparation is where applications will succeed or stall, and it's work you can finish before the portal opens. Our free checklist lists every document and where to get it in Kentucky.

Timing and what to do now

1. Get screened. Know whether you're a strong candidate before spending anything.
2. Assemble the record now. Court archives are slow; some retrievals take weeks. DOJ expects ~1,000,000 applications in year one — the queue will be long, and a complete application beats an amended one.
3. File when applications open September 21, 2026. Our readiness clients' packages are built, reviewed, and waiting.

This guide is general information reflecting the final rule published August 20, 2026 — not legal advice about your case. DOJ guidance may evolve during implementation.