A felony conviction generally remains part of the criminal record unless a jurisdiction provides expungement, sealing, set-aside, pardon, or another form of relief. Time passing by itself does not create a universal federal rule restoring gun rights.
How long does a felony stay on your record?
There is no nationwide expiration date. Criminal-history repositories, court dockets, background-check systems, and public-access rules differ, and a conviction can remain legally significant even if a public record becomes harder to find.
Record visibility is not firearm eligibility
A conviction disappearing from a consumer background report, online court search, or inmate search does not mean the legal judgment ceased to exist. Firearm eligibility depends on the legal effect of the conviction and any relief.
Expungement, sealing and set-aside are different
Jurisdictions use these labels differently. Some forms of relief destroy or restrict public access; others change the legal effect of the conviction; some do both. Federal § 921(a)(20) requires its own analysis.
No universal 7-year or 10-year gun-rights rule
Consumer-reporting time limits and state restoration waiting periods are often confused with firearm law. A prohibited person should identify a statute or valid order that actually changes eligibility.
Use the 50-state directory
Firearm eligibility is unusually dependent on jurisdiction. Review the individual page for every state and the District of Columbia for restoration rules, carry and acquisition policy comparisons, official code links, and state-specific keyword FAQs.
Read the major court cases
Current firearm law is changing through litigation. The 25-case library covers Bruen, Rahimi, Hemani, Wolford, recent § 922(g)(1) circuit cases, ACCA sentencing, purchaser licensing, sensitive places, magazine limits, ghost guns, age limits, and other decisions affecting the answer.