Outrage as Pam Bondi restores Mel Gibson's gun rights after DOJ official's firing: 'What priorities!'

WASHINGTON, DC: Mel Gibson is reportedly one of the ten people who had their gun rights reinstated by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is headed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, to the chagrin of several social media users.

On Thursday, April 3, the 69-year-old actor, whose gun rights were revoked in 2011 following a domestic violence-related misdemeanor felony conviction, got them restored, the New York Times reported.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Federal Register is expected to release further details about the restoration of the laws.

Mel Gibson’s gun rights were restored by Pam Bondi

Mel Gibson, who is a vocal Republican, reportedly got his gun rights restored this week after President Donald Trump’s administration recently took the initiative to restore gun rights to people who have earned them. 

As reported by The Mirror, an interim rule set to be published in The Federal Register claims that though the department is still in favor of ensuring to keep firearms out of the reach of "violent and dangerous" people, now they want "an appropriate avenue" to restore gun rights to those who have earned them. 

The recent development came less than a year after the Supreme Court ruled that access to firearms for people facing restraining orders for domestic violence would be restricted.

However, upon coming to power, Trump has ordered a review of the government policies.

Mel Gibson’s gun rights were revoked in 2011

Mel Gibson lost his gun rights following domestic battery charges in 2011. The domestic dispute happened following his tumultuous two-year-long relationship with his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

According to the outlet, the actor's Russian pianist former girlfriend obtained a restraining order against Gibson, alleging physical assault. 

Grigorieva claimed in the complaint that Gibson punched her and threatened her with a gun during an altercation in their California home. While he pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor battery charge in Los Angeles Superior Court and avoided jail time, Gibson’s gun rights were taken away. 

However, more than a decade later, 'The Passion of the Christ' director pleaded for a restoration of those rights, which were previously denied by former pardon attorney Elizabeth G Oyer. 

In an interview with the Times, Oyer revealed that after she denied Gibson’s attorneys’ request to put the ‘Mad Max’ actor on the “recommendation” list for reinstating his gun laws, she was fired from her position. 

In her interview, the former pardon attorney shared that Gibson's letter mentioned “special appointment” by the president while offering his track record of “big, successful movies” as his justification. 

Explaining her cause to deny the actor’s plea in January, Oyer shared, "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."

Later, in another interview with The Washington Post, she explained, "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. It is incredibly difficult for people who are still there to speak up, and people who are still there fear retaliation from the current administration.”

Outrage as Mel Gibson gets his gun rights reinstated

The recent development of Pam Bondi reinstating Mel Gibson's gun rights did not sit well with several social media users who stormed the internet and slammed the move. 

One of the netizens wrote on Reddit, "I believe in second chances but this feels like a risky move."

"Everything the republicans accuse others of (using gvmt for personal gain) they do," penned someone else. 

Another user chimed in, "The last thing he needs is a 😎 Lethal Weapon."

Someone else added sarcastically, "Crazy what priorities this regime has. Surely this will lower the cost of eggs and groceries!"

"I want a bingo card for all the worthless s**t trump will do during his term. Can’t say I’d have this one on there. Or destroying the global economy. But hey here we are! BINGO," noted another flabbergasted user. 

Someone else noted, "All it took was for his buddy the president to fire some people at the justice department!"

"I'm just glad our government is taking care of the real problems in this country," quipped another social media user. 

Someone else remarked, "So not only are we spending time going backwards and focusing on rich individuals over the whole but we’re completely blasting through and wasting potential time to make anything even slightly better." 

One individual wrote, "Well at least they’ve got their priorities in order." 

Another commented, "I thought trump was going to deport violent foreigners? Oh trump meant the tan ones."

One netizen asked, "How much did he donate to the Turd in Chief?" 

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