As a Newly Convicted Felon, Donald Trump Has Lost This Beloved Right

A Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records on Thursday, May 30. While the impact of the same on his election prospects remains uncertain, HuffPost reports that Trump has now lost his right to purchase or possess firearms. According to federal law, under the Gun Control Act of 1968, individuals convicted of crimes punishable by up to one year in prison are prohibited from purchasing firearms or ammunition.

Trump had significant support from the conservative gun rights movement and vowed to overturn firearm restrictions imposed by the Biden administration. However, with his felony convictions, he is now classified as a prohibited person under the law. Despite this, Trump was permitted to keep the guns he owned before his conviction (without violating any laws) while his cases progressed.

This allowance came with the condition that he could not move the firearms across state borders. However, the Shouse California Law Group states, "If you are convicted of a felony and remain otherwise law-abiding, you may eventually be able to restore your gun rights." According to Newsweek, options for Trump include seeking to have the conviction expunged, downgraded to a misdemeanor, getting a pardon, or petitioning the court for restoration of rights. Another possibility is that Trump could receive probation instead of a prison sentence. "He could seek to have that right restored since his conviction was for a lower level non-violent felony," Cheryl Bader, a professor at Fordham Law, explained to ABC News.

Additionally, in New York, a felony conviction automatically invalidates a concealed carry license, and the court is required by law to order the individual to surrender their firearms. Since a New York state court handed down the convictions, they cannot be erased by a presidential pardon. During a 2012 interview, Trump disclosed that he possessed a concealed carry license in New York and owned two handguns— a .45-caliber H&K and a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson. Speaking to the French magazine, Valeurs Actuelles, Trump once admitted, “I always carry a weapon on me.”

Despite the looming possibility of a prison term (a potential sentence of up to four years) ahead of the presidential elections in November, the Republican frontrunner maintains a competitive stance. Trump, speaking outside the courtroom, denounced the verdict as the outcome of a 'rigged', disgraceful, and 'un-American' trial, according to ABC News. "We'll keep fighting. We'll fight to the end, and we'll win...The real verdict is going to be on November 5, by the people. They know what happened here. I am a very innocent man," Trump told reporters after the conviction. "This is long from over.” Trump's campaign advisers believed the case would serve as a rallying point for their MAGA supporters.