Can a Felon Own a Gun in Arizona?

A person with a felony conviction cannot legally own a gun in Arizona while the conviction stands, but many people can get that right back. A felony conviction makes you a prohibited possessor under Arizona law, and possessing a firearm in that status is itself a new felony. But Arizona also lets most people apply to the court to restore their firearm rights after they finish their sentence and a waiting period, and that path is more available than many people assume.

We get this question constantly, often from someone who finished probation years ago and wants to hunt with a son or keep a handgun at home. Here is how the law works, what the exceptions are, and where people get into trouble.

What Prohibited Possessor Means

Arizona defines a prohibited possessor to include anyone convicted of a felony whose civil rights have not been restored, along with people on felony probation, in custody, or under certain other orders. If you fit that definition and you have a gun in your home, your truck, or your hand, you can be charged with misconduct involving weapons, which is a felony on its own. It does not matter that the original conviction was non-violent or decades old. Until rights are restored, the ban is the ban.

When Can a Felon Own a Gun in Arizona Again?

Restoration is done by applying to the court that handled the conviction, usually alongside a request to set aside the judgment. The timing depends on the offense. For many felonies, you can apply once you have completed your sentence, including probation and any restitution, and a waiting period has passed after your discharge. More serious offenses carry a longer wait.

Offenses classified as dangerous, meaning they involved a deadly weapon or serious injury, generally cannot have firearm rights restored at all. A judge also has discretion, so a clean record since the conviction matters. Our page on set-aside and record sealing explains how the set-aside and rights-restoration requests fit together.

Federal Law Still Applies

This is the part people miss. Federal law separately bars anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison from possessing a firearm. When Arizona fully restores your rights, that generally lifts the federal bar as well, but a partial restoration or an order that keeps a firearm restriction in place does not. A misdemeanor domestic violence conviction carries its own federal firearm ban that a state set-aside may not undo. If you have both a state case and federal exposure, get advice before you buy anything.

A Situation We See Often

A client in Glendale finished probation on a non-dangerous drug felony more than ten years earlier, had no new arrests, and wanted to go dove hunting with his family. He assumed the conviction barred him for life. We filed the set-aside and the application to restore firearm rights, laid out his record since the conviction, and the court granted it. Every case turns on its own facts, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes, but his situation is a common one and it is exactly what the statute was written for.

The Honest Counterpoint: Do Not Assume, and Do Not Test It

Some people cannot get rights restored, and some who can should not rush. If the conviction was a dangerous offense, the answer is likely no, and buying a gun anyway creates a new felony. If your conviction is being challenged through post-conviction relief, restoring rights may wait until that is resolved. And a firearm conviction can affect more than gun ownership. We covered one example in how a criminal conviction can affect a professional license in Arizona. The safe move is a consultation before a purchase, not after an arrest.

Call Your Phoenix Attorney

Whether a felon can own a gun in Arizona again depends on the offense, the time since discharge, and how the application is presented. We have decades of experience in Arizona courts, consultations are free, we offer flat fees and payment plans, and a real attorney answers the phone 24/7, in English or Spanish. Learn about our criminal defense practice, visit Your Phoenix Attorney online, or call 623-335-4014 to find out where you stand.