Two locks, not one. If you have a felony conviction, restoring your gun rights in Alaska means dealing with two separate legal systems that don't automatically talk to each other: Alaska law and federal law. Fixing the state side does not, by itself, make it legal to possess a firearm under federal law. Alaska is actually more forgiving than most states on paper — it caps its own felon firearm ban at 10 years for most offenses and limits that ban to concealable handguns — but federal law bars any firearm or ammunition for life after any felony conviction, unless a specific federal exception applies. Confusing "legal in Alaska" with "legal, period" is how ordinary people end up charged with a federal felony. Read this before you buy, borrow, inherit, or touch a gun.
Who loses firearm rights, and under which law
Two different bans can apply to the same person, and they don't line up:
Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)) bans anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year — almost any felony, state or federal — from possessing any firearm or ammunition, anywhere, for life, unless relief applies.
Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9), the Lautenberg Amendment) separately bans anyone convicted of a qualifying misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing firearms, even though it was never a felony.
Alaska state law (AS 11.61.200, misconduct involving weapons in the third degree) makes it a class C felony for a felon to knowingly possess a firearm "capable of being concealed on one's person" — a handgun. Alaska's own ban is narrower than the federal one: it covers concealable handguns only, not long guns, and for most felonies the statute gives you a defense once 10 years have passed since unconditional discharge. The exception is any offense classified under AS Title 11, Chapter 41 (homicide, assault, sexual assault, robbery, kidnapping and similar crimes against the person) — for those, the 10-year defense does not apply.
Alaska has no separate state-law ban for a misdemeanor domestic-violence conviction. That doesn't help you: the federal Lautenberg ban still applies in full regardless.
That gap is the trap: Alaska not banning your rifle, shotgun, or handgun after the clock runs does not mean the federal government has stopped treating you as prohibited.
The two locks: why a state fix doesn't open the federal door
Federal law has its own narrow rule for when a state-level fix counts. Under 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20), a prior conviction stops counting for federal firearms purposes only if the state's relief — expungement, set-aside, pardon, or restoration of civil rights — restores your civil rights (such as voting, holding public office, and jury service) and doesn't expressly keep a firearms restriction in place. If Alaska relief leaves any firearms restriction on the books, or doesn't reach that "civil rights restored" bar, the federal ban survives the Alaska fix.
Beecham v. United States, a controlling U.S. Supreme Court decision, holds that if your disqualifying conviction is federal, a state cannot restore your firearm rights at all — only federal relief can. Alaska pardons and set-asides only reach Alaska convictions.
18 U.S.C. § 925(c) lets a person petition the federal government directly to lift a federal disability. Congress blocked ATF from spending money to process these applications starting in 1992, effectively killing the route for decades. Beginning in 2025, the Department of Justice moved that authority away from ATF, restored rights for a small number of applicants directly, and proposed a new application process run through the Department of Justice rather than ATF. This is a recent and unsettled development — whether the route is actually open, and on what terms, when you read this can change without notice, so check current Department of Justice guidance first.
Bottom line: someone can be completely legal under Alaska law and still be committing a federal felony (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)) the moment they pick up a gun. This mismatch is not rare, and prosecutors do charge it.
How Alaska actually restores firearm rights
Alaska does not offer every restoration tool other states use — notably, it has no general expungement of felony convictions. Based on Alaska law as currently written, here is what actually exists:
The automatic 10-year defense to the state handgun ban. For non-"against the person" felonies, AS 11.61.200 gives you a defense once 10 years have passed since unconditional discharge, so the state concealable-handgun charge no longer applies. No petition is required for this state-law defense to become available — but it only fixes the narrow Alaska handgun charge. It isn't automatically the "civil rights restored" fix federal law looks for, so don't treat it as clearing the federal bar without a lawyer's confirmation.
Set-aside of the conviction under AS 12.55.085. Available only if, at your original sentencing, the judge suspended imposition of sentence (an "SIS") and placed you on probation instead of entering a conviction outright. After successfully completing that probation, the sentencing court may set the conviction aside and issue a certificate to that effect — which can serve as a defense to an Alaska felon-in-possession charge. It's not available to everyone with a felony record, only to people who got an SIS, and Alaska law excludes SIS eligibility for serious violent offenses, sex offenses, stalking, human trafficking, offenses that themselves involved use of a firearm, and people with a qualifying prior domestic-violence conviction.
A governor's pardon. Restores firearm rights for the pardoned Alaska conviction. Applications start with the Alaska Board of Parole, which screens for eligibility, investigates (with input from the sentencing court, the district attorney, and any victim), and forwards eligible applications to the Governor's Executive Clemency Advisory Committee for a recommendation. The Governor alone decides, with no guaranteed hearing or outcome. Alaska pardons are historically rare: the process sat effectively dormant for roughly two decades before the Governor granted a handful again in December 2024. A pardon reaches only Alaska convictions.
Vacatur through post-conviction relief. If your conviction was legally defective, Alaska's post-conviction relief process (filed in the convicting trial court) can vacate it, removing both the state and potentially the federal disability — but this requires a legal basis to challenge the conviction, not just good behavior since.
Alaska doesn't appear to offer a separate petition to "restore firearm rights" for people never given an SIS, or a standalone certificate of rehabilitation. If someone tells you otherwise, confirm the specific statute with the Alaska Court System or a licensed attorney — this summary reflects the law as currently understood, and it can change.
Waiting period and eligibility
For felonies that are not crimes "against the person," Alaska's own concealable-handgun charge carries a defense once 10 years have passed from unconditional discharge — the end of incarceration, probation, and parole, not the date of sentencing. Exactly which of your charges count as "against the person" under AS 11.41 is a legal classification question, not something to guess at from a plain-English label; confirm it against the current statute or with a defense lawyer. None of this changes the separate federal clock, which for most people never runs out on its own — federal law's disability is permanent until a qualifying form of relief is obtained, not merely a matter of waiting long enough.
Steps to restore your gun rights in Alaska
Get your full record. Obtain certified copies of the judgment, sentencing order, and discharge paperwork from the Alaska Court System and Department of Corrections.
Identify the offense type. Determine whether each conviction is "against the person" under AS 11.41, and whether the original sentence was a suspended imposition of sentence (SIS) — this decides which tools are available.
Check the 10-year clock, if it applies. If the offense isn't "against the person," calculate 10 years from unconditional discharge (not sentencing) to see whether the defense to Alaska's concealable-handgun charge is already available.
If you had an SIS, ask the sentencing court about a set-aside under AS 12.55.085, and confirm you aren't excluded by a serious-violence, sex-offense, firearm-involved, stalking, trafficking, or prior domestic-violence disqualifier.
If no other route fits, consider a pardon application through the Alaska Board of Parole, understanding it's discretionary, slow, and rarely granted.
Before you buy, borrow, or possess anything, get a written opinion from a licensed Alaska attorney addressing federal law specifically, not just the Alaska charge: "Does 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) still apply to me after this state relief?"
Keep every document. A certified copy of the pardon, set-aside certificate, or court order is your proof if your right to possess a firearm is ever questioned.
Permanent and serious exclusions
Offenses "against the person" under AS 11.41 get no 10-year defense to the state handgun charge, and set-asides under AS 12.55.085 are unavailable for serious violent offenses, sex offenses, stalking, human trafficking, offenses involving use of a firearm, or where the person has a qualifying prior domestic-violence conviction. For those, a pardon or a successful post-conviction challenge to the conviction itself are the only realistic state-law paths — and even then, only a federal fix removes the separate federal ban. Nothing Alaska does can restore rights lost under a federal conviction; only the federal government can do that.
Practical reality check
Get any restoration in writing — a certified court order, signed pardon warrant, or official set-aside certificate. Never rely on a verbal assurance, a probation officer's opinion, or your own reading of a statute. Before you possess, purchase, or accept a firearm, have a licensed Alaska attorney confirm in writing that the federal bar under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) no longer applies to you specifically — the analysis depends on your exact offense, sentence, and which relief you obtained. Possessing a firearm while still federally prohibited is a serious federal felony, prosecuted separately from any state charge, and "I thought Alaska fixed it" is not a defense.
This article is general legal information about Alaska and federal firearms law, not legal advice for your specific situation. Confirm current statutes and your individual eligibility with the Alaska Court System, the Alaska Board of Parole, or a licensed Alaska attorney before acting.
Frequently asked questions
If Alaska's felon gun ban expires after 10 years, am I legal to own a gun under federal law too?
Not automatically. Alaska's 10-year rule only provides a defense to the narrow state concealable-handgun charge under AS 11.61.200. Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)) is a separate, lifetime ban that only lifts if your Alaska relief meets the federal test under 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20) - restoring your civil rights without keeping a firearms restriction in place. Confirm with a lawyer before assuming the federal bar is gone.
Can I get my firearm rights restored in Alaska if my conviction was in federal court, not state court?
No. Under Beecham v. United States, a state cannot restore firearm rights for a federal conviction. Alaska pardons, set-asides, and the 10-year handgun defense only reach convictions obtained under Alaska law. Relief for a federal conviction can only come from the federal government.
What is a set-aside under AS 12.55.085, and can anyone with a felony apply for one?
A set-aside dismisses a conviction after a person successfully completes probation under a suspended imposition of sentence (SIS) that a judge granted at the original sentencing. It is not a general petition anyone can file years later - it is only available to people who received an SIS in the first place, and Alaska law excludes SIS eligibility for serious violent offenses, sex offenses, stalking, human trafficking, offenses involving use of a firearm, and people with a qualifying prior domestic-violence conviction.
Which convictions can never have Alaska gun rights restored automatically?
Offenses classified as crimes "against the person" under AS Title 11, Chapter 41 (such as homicide, assault, sexual assault, robbery, and kidnapping) do not get the automatic 10-year defense to Alaska's handgun charge. For those, only a governor's pardon or a successful post-conviction challenge to the conviction itself can lift the state disability - and even then, the separate federal bar must be addressed on its own.
Is Alaska's pardon process actually a realistic option?
It exists, but it is slow and historically rare. Applications go through the Alaska Board of Parole for eligibility screening and investigation, then to the Governor's Executive Clemency Advisory Committee for a recommendation, with the Governor alone deciding. Alaska's pardon process sat effectively dormant for roughly two decades before the Governor granted a small number of pardons again in December 2024, so expect a long timeline and no guaranteed outcome.
This article is general legal information, not legal advice, and may not reflect the most current law or the law in your jurisdiction. Laws vary by state and change over time. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.
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