A senior Justice Department pardon attorney, Elizabeth G. Oyer, says she was dismissed one day after stating she could not recommend the reinstatement of Mel Gibson’s gun rights. Oyer alleges she was told that Gibson’s role as a newly appointed special ambassador to Hollywood, alongside Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone, was a reason to approve the request.
Gibson, who lost his gun rights following a 2011 domestic violence conviction, pleaded no contest as part of a deal that allowed him to avoid jail time. The conviction led to three years of informal probation, community service, a year of domestic violence counseling, and fines. Federal law generally bars individuals convicted of certain crimes, including domestic violence misdemeanors, from purchasing or possessing firearms.
Oyer said she was assigned to a working group responsible for reviewing applications to restore firearm rights for those convicted of crimes. A list of 95 individuals was narrowed to nine before Gibson’s name was added. His attorney argued for reinstatement, citing his career and new appointment.
“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,” Oyer said in an interview.
Oyer claims that after she refused to support the request, she received a call from U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office, where she was told Gibson’s personal relationship with former President Trump should be considered reason enough to approve the request. She was advised that it would be in her best interest to issue the recommendation.
Oyer maintained her position and reminded officials that the final decision belonged to the Attorney General. She was fired the next day. Multiple sources confirmed to The New York Times that the sequence of events unfolded as she described.
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A Justice Department official stated that her termination was unrelated to the dispute over Gibson’s gun rights.
Oyer says that some within the Justice Department have suggested the process of restoring firearm rights should be automated rather than evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Gibson, Voight, and Stallone were recently named by Trump as special envoys to Hollywood. The scope of their roles has not been detailed, but the appointment was framed as part of an effort to influence the film industry.
