A former pardons attorney for the Department of Justice says she was dismissed from her role after she opposed the restoration of actor Mel Gibson's gun rights.
Gibson, a prominent Tinseltown conservative who was recently nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as an ambassador to Hollywood, lost the ability to legally own firearms following a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.
Elizabeth Oyer told the New York Times that Gibson's case came up as part of a wider effort to restore gun rights to people who had been convicted of crimes. Felons are barred from purchasing or owning handguns under federal law. Oyer told the outlet that she helped craft a list of nine people who could potentially have their rights restored, basing it on the age of their convictions and likelihood of committing another crime. Oyer said she was approached directly and asked to add Gibson's name to the list.
"This is dangerous. This isn’t political — this is a safety issue," Oyer shared.
Gibson pleaded no contest to battery of his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva in 2011. If that name rings a bell, it's likely because of an infamous tape where Gibson hurled sexist and racist remarks at the mother of one of his children. That leaked audio, along with an antisemitic rant the actor went on while being arrested for driving under the influence, dimmed the star of the one-time blockbuster draw. Oyer felt that Gibson was not a strong candidate for restoration.
"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 told the Times.
Oyer added that she was pressured to make the recommendation by a senior official, who noted that Gibson had "a personal relationship with President Trump." She refused a second time and was fired on Friday. No announcement of the restoration of Gibson's gun rights has been made as of this writing.
In recent years, Gibson has made a slow and steady return to theater marquees while touting conservative views and conspiracy theories. The major supporter of Trump said that former Vice President Kamala Harris had "the IQ of a fence post" during the campaign season and floated the idea that recent Los Angeles wildfires were one piece of a sinister land grab.
