Fill and Sign the Firearms and Pardon Application Governor Kim Reynolds Form

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR: • SPECIAL RESTORATION OF CITIZENSHIP (FIREARMS RIGHTS) • PARDON • COMMUTATION OF LIFE SENTENCE PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THE APPLICATION IN FULL, IT WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU WITHOUT PROCESSING. GENERAL INFORMATION —The Constitution of the State of Iowa vests the Governor with the authority to grant executive clemency for all offenses except treason and cases of impeachment, subject to such regulations as may be provided by law. Except for the restoration of the right to vote and hold public office, the Governor does not grant executi ve clemency for any conviction received in federal court or the court of an other state. Executive clemency ma y take one of the following forms: 1. Restoration of Citizenship (Right to Vote and Hold Public Office) : A restoration of citizenship restores the right of a person that has been convicted of a felony or an aggravated misdemeanor to vote and hold public office. This is not an application for restoration of citizenship rights. If you are interested in applying for restoration of citizenship rights, you may obtain an Application for Restoration Citizenship by contacting the Governor’s Office at 515/281-5211. 2. Special Restoration of Citizenship (Firearms Rights) : A special restoration of citizenship restores the right of a person who has been convicted of a non-forcible felony to possess a firearm under state law. Notwithstanding the receipt of a special restoration of citizenship (firearms rights) from the Govern or, there may be applicable federal laws that ban the possession of firearms by certain convicted offenders. For more info rmation, contact the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice. 3. Pardon: A pardon, which if full and unconditional, restores all citizen ship rights (right to vote, hold public office, and firearm rights) and relieves an offender from further punishment imposed by reason of a conviction of a criminal offense. A pardon will not, however, erase or expunge the record of conviction. 4. Commutation of Sentence : A commutation of sentence is a reduction or lesseni ng of the original sentence. Usually it takes the form of a reduction in the length of imprisonment. In some cases, it may result in release from prison. ELIGIBILITY —You must have paid all court costs, fines, and re stitution before your application will be considered— You must include documentation verifying your payment of costs, fines, and restitution, which may be obtained from the clerk of court in the county of your conviction. Although you may submit an application at any time, it is the general policy of the Governor’s Office to require at least five (5) years to pass from the date that a person is discharged from sentence before granting restoration of firearm rights and at least ten (10) years to pass from the discharge date for a pardon. PROCESS —The special restoration of citizenship (firearms rights) an d pardon process will take approximately two years from the time your application is complete. Each application will be forw arded to the Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation for a full review of criminal and traffic violations as well as credit history. Additionally, you and anyone lis ted in your application materials may be contacted to verify that the information provided is correct. The Iowa Department of Revenue will provide verification of your income tax filings. According to st ate law, the Iowa Board of Parole will review these materials, and submit a recommendation to the Governor’s Office. OTHER REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION —You must submit 1) a current Iowa crimin al history record and 2) personal credit report from one reporting agency with your completed application. To request these items, please contact: Iowa Criminal History Record C re d it H is to ry Address: Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Address: Annual Credit Report Request Service Wallace Building P.O. Box 1058281 Des Moines, IA 50319 Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 Phone: 515.281.4776 Phone: 877.322.8228 Internet: http://www.dps.state.ia.us/DCI/Records_Ident/obtain_records.shtml Internet: www.annualcreditreport.com LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION You are strongly encouraged to provide letters of recommendation from the following people at the time you submit your application : 1. Prosecuting Attorney in your case 5. Present and/or former employer 2. Sentencing Judge in your case 6. Other reputable persons in the 3. County Sheriff in your case or community who can attest as to where you currently reside your moral character 4. Minister (if applicable) If you are unable to obtain letters of recommendations from an y of these individuals due to factors beyond your control (retire ment, relocation, deceased, etc.) please include an explanation on your application. Letters of recommendation must reference that t he letter writer is aware that you are seeking executive clemency . SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES DOMESTIC ASSAULT AND DOMESTIC ABUSE CONVICTIONS A person convicted of an offense such as domestic assault/abuse is subject to federal law, which prohibits such a person from possessing a firearm. Accordingly, under federal law, that person must receive a pardon in order to restore the right to possess a firearm—A SPECIAL RESTORATION OF CITIZENSHIP (FIREARM RIGHTS) IS NOT ACCEPTABLE UNDER FEDERAL LAW FOR DOMESTIC ASSAULT/ABUSE OFFENSES. CONVICTIONS OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF IOWA Except for the restoration of citizenship to restore the right to vote and hold public office, the Governor does not grant executive clemency for a criminal offense the resulted in a conviction in fe deral court or the court of another state. If you wish to seek clemency for a federal conviction, you should contact: Office of the Pardon Attorney U.S. Department of Justice 500 First Street, N.W., Suite 400 Washington, D.C. 20530 If you wish to seek clemency for a convictio n from another state, you should contact the Governor or other appropriate authorit y of the state in which your conviction occurred to determine whether any relief is available to you under that state’s law. Persons convicted of a federal crime who are seeking to have their firearm rights restored must first apply to the United State s Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for relief from the disabilities imposed by federal law before seeking a special restoration of citizenship (firearms rights) from the Governor. In order to obtain an application, please write to: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Office of Public and Governmental Affairs 650 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Rm. 8290 Washington, D.C. 20226 MAILING ADDRESS —Please mail your completed application and documentation to: James Larew, General Counsel G ov ern o r’ s O ff ic e S ta te C ap ito l B uild in g D es M oin es, I o w a 5 0 319 5 15 .2 8 1.5 21 1 Checklist of Materials ‫ Completed, signed, and dated application ‫ Letters of Recommendation ‫ Proof of payment of court costs, fines, and restitution ‫ Signed waiver to obtain personal records ‫ Current Iowa Criminal History Record ‫ Current Credit History