18 U.S.C. § 922(g) is the principal federal prohibited-person possession statute. It covers multiple categories and applies to firearms and ammunition that meet the statute’s federal nexus requirements.
§ 922(g)(1): felony-related prohibition
Section 922(g)(1) generally covers a person “who has been convicted in any court of, a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.” That phrase must be read with the definitions and exclusions in 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20).
Other § 922(g) categories
Section 922(g) also includes categories involving fugitives, certain controlled-substance status, certain mental-health adjudications or commitments, immigration status, dishonorable discharge, renunciation of U.S. citizenship, certain restraining orders, and misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence. The exact statutory text controls.
Knowledge after Rehaif
Under Rehaif v. United States, a § 922(g) prosecution requires proof that the defendant knew of the status that placed the defendant within the relevant prohibited category. Courts continue to apply this rule to particular records and trial facts.
What counts as possession?
Federal possession can be actual or constructive. Constructive possession generally concerns the power and intention to exercise dominion or control, a fact-intensive issue that can matter in shared homes, vehicles and locations.
Restoration and § 921(a)(20)
The effect of a state conviction that has been expunged, set aside, pardoned, or followed by restoration of civil rights can require close analysis of § 921(a)(20), including whether the relief expressly restricts firearms. Do not assume a record-sealing label is enough.