Mel Gibson is once again at the center of controversy after the U.S. Department of Justice, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, reinstated his gun rights — more than a decade after they were revoked due to a domestic violence-related misdemeanor conviction.
According to The New York Times, the 69-year-old actor was among ten individuals to have their gun rights restored by the DOJ on April 3. Gibson, a known Republican and vocal Trump supporter, had his rights revoked in 2011 following a violent domestic dispute with his former partner, Russian pianist Oksana Grigorieva.
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Grigorieva accused Gibson of physically assaulting her and threatening her with a firearm during an altercation at their California home. She was granted a restraining order, and Gibson later pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge. Though he avoided jail time, his gun ownership rights were stripped.
Now, after more than ten years, those rights have been returned. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that further details will be released in the Federal Register. The development comes in the wake of the Trump administration’s broader initiative to restore gun rights to individuals they claim have “earned” them — a move that has been met with significant backlash.
An interim rule, to be published in the Federal Register, states that while the DOJ aims to keep guns out of the hands of “violent and dangerous” individuals, it also wants to provide “an appropriate avenue” for others to regain their rights.
As reported by The Mirror, however, not everyone is on board. Elizabeth G. Oyer, a former DOJ pardon attorney, revealed to The New York Times that she previously denied Gibson’s application to have his gun rights restored. She was later fired.
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“Giving guns back to domestic abusers is a serious matter that, in my view, is not something that I could recommend lightly,” Oyer told the Times. “There are real consequences that flow from people who have a history of domestic violence being in possession of firearms.”
In an interview with The Washington Post, Oyer explained her decision to speak out:
“The only reason I am speaking out about this is because I think it is important to shed some light on what is going on in the Department of Justice.”
The move to restore Gibson’s rights has reignited heated debates online, with critics questioning the motivations behind the DOJ’s decision and the influence of the Trump administration.
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