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People familiar with the decision said Mr. Gibson, a supporter of President Trump, would be among 10 people with convictions to get back their gun rights.
- April 3, 2025, 5:32 p.m. ET
Justice Department officials will allow the actor Mel Gibson, a prominent supporter of President Trump, to own guns again, ending a once contentious debate that had roiled the upper ranks of the department, according to people familiar with the decision.
Concerns over restoring Mr. Gibson’s gun rights led to a tense back-and-forth with the Justice Department’s pardon attorney, Elizabeth G. Oyer, shortly before she was fired by the Trump administration last month.
The decision, which also applies to nine others, was approved by Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. The specifics are expected to be published in The Federal Register, they added.
A Justice Department spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ms. Oyer previously said she had refused to recommend that Mr. Gibson be included on a short list of people with criminal convictions who could have their gun rights restored, despite pressure to do so from her superiors.
She said in an interview with The New York Times after her firing that a department official had tried to convince her to change her mind because Mr. Gibson “has a personal relationship with President Trump.”
Not long after that conversation, she and several other senior career lawyers at the Justice Department were abruptly terminated. A senior department official has denied that her dismissal was related to the disagreement about Mr. Gibson.
