The Wrap noted that Elizabeth Oyer “was among multiple high-ranking DoJ officials fired on Friday,” and “her termination appears to be connected to her recommendation the day prior that Mel Gibson’s gun ownership rights not be restored.”
However, a DOJ official who spoke to the New York Times on the condition of anonymity for a story published Monday “said the disagreement over Mr. Gibson played no role in the decision to dismiss the pardon attorney [Oyer].”
Gibson lost his gun rights as part of a 2011 plea agreement in a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.
Roughly two weeks ago, Oyer was assigned to a DOJ working group tasked with restoring firearm rights to individuals convicted of crimes, according to the Times. The group came up with 95 candidates for consideration but did not list Gibson among them. After submitting the list, Oyer claimed that they received a response from the office of the deputy attorney general saying, “We would like you to add Mel Gibson to this memo.”
When requesting Gibson be added, the office highlighted “a January letter that Mr. Gibson’s lawyer had written to two senior Justice Department officials, James R. McHenry III and Emil Bove III, arguing for his gun rights to be restored.” In the letter, Gibson’s lawyer noted that he “had been tapped for a special appointment by the president.”
The Times pointed out that “within the working group” of “government lawyers” considering restoration, there was “[general agreement] that a significant period of time since a conviction should have passed for someone to be eligible for such relief, perhaps 10 or 15 years, and that it should not be extended to convicted murderers and armed robbers.”
In this theoretical scenario, Gibson’s misdemeanor conviction 14 years ago would place him well within the bounds of a restoration consideration. Yet, Gibson’s case continued to dangle on the point of domestic violence. Federal law prohibits people convicted of a felony and anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing a firearm.
When asked to reconsider her position, Oyer continued to withhold any recommendation to restore Gibson’s gun rights. She was subsequently fired and has since claimed it was due to the position she took on the actor.
The Times quoted Oyer as saying: “Giving guns back to domestic abusers is a serious matter that, in my view, is not something that I could recommend lightly, because there are real consequences that flow from people who have a history of domestic violence being in possession of firearms.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, a Pulsar Night Vision pro-staffer, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly: awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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