For more than three decades, thanks to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has had a rule in place that prohibits the agency from supporting or approving applications from gun owners for the restoration of their Second Amendment gun rights after having those rights previously taken away by a court.

That is expected to finally change this week after Attorney General Pam Bondi proposed a reversal to the decades-old rule that forced the ATF to oppose applications for the restoration of gun rights, Breitbart reported.

This move appears to be linked to an effort ordered by President Donald Trump to better protect Second Amendment rights, and has been well-received by pro-gun rights groups like the Gun Owners of America organization.

Bondi withdraws old ATF rule prohibiting restoration of gun rights

On Wednesday, GOA shared on its X account a copy of an "interim final rule" proposed by AG Bondi that was scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Thursday.

The summary stated: "This interim final rule ('IFR') amends the Department of Justice ('Department') relating to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ('ATF') by withdrawing effectively moribund regulations regarding how ATF will adjudicate applications for relief from the disabilities imposed by certain firearms laws and withdrawing a related delegation."

In sharing that document, GOA observed, "Department of Justice proposes rule to allow federal restoration of gun rights for the first time in 32 years pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 925(c)."

Schumer's amendment barred the ATF from restoring gun rights

18 U.S.C. § 925(c) provides that any person who's been stripped of their gun rights by federal law may submit an application to the attorney general for a restoration of those rights, and the statute further authorizes the attorney general to approve the restoration of rights if it can be determined that the applicant is no longer a threat to public safety.

That authority had previously been delegated by the AG's office to the ATF, but the ATF was prohibited from approving any applications for the restoration of gun rights by an amendment to an ATF funding bill in 1992 that was sponsored by Sen. Schumer.

In a separate X post, GOA explained, "Because of an amendment by @SenSchumer in 1992, ATF has been prohibited from restoring gun rights for the last 32 years!" and added, "Thank you @AGPamBondi for undoing this egregious infringement."

That post also included a copy of Schumer's amendment that imposed certain conditions on how the ATF could spend its appropriated funds, including a provision that provided that "none of the appropriated herein shall be available to investigate or act upon applications for relief from Federal firearm disabilities under 18 U.S.C. 925(c)."

Trump and Bondi taking action to protect the Second Amendment

Breitbart reported that GOA's Director of Federal Affairs Aidan Johnston said in a statement, "Since its enactment in 1992, Gun Owners of America has been fighting against the 'Schumer Amendment,' which defunded the federal gun rights restoration statute."

"GOA and thousands of would-be gun owners are grateful to President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for once again allowing gun owners to petition to have their gun rights restored by the Department of Justice," he added. "We hope to see many more infringements repealed as the federal government carries out President Trump’s executive order Protecting Second Amendment Rights."

Indeed, President Trump issued an executive order last month that recognized the "foundational" importance of the Second Amendment-protected right to keep and bear arms for the American people and decried the unconstitutional infringements of those rights by prior presidential administrations.

As such, he directed AG Bondi to commence a thorough review of all gun rights-related "orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens, and present a proposed plan of action to the President, through the Domestic Policy Advisor, to protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans."