Results

Kelly Keegan’s client retained her after having a permit to purchase denied due to a 2004 conviction of Felony Third Degree Burglary in Dakota County. As this charge was considered a crime of violence under Minnesota State law at the time, he became subject to a lifetime ban on possessing firearms. Although the Minnesota Supreme Court determined in 2020 that the Minnesota Legislature intended through subsequent amendments to the law to remove this offense from the list of crimes of violence, a judicial order is still needed for the federal government to recognize restoration under federal law. Kelly was able to obtain a judge’s order that her client’s rights were restored to pave the way with the federal government National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) so her client can receive his permit to carry and purchase firearms without denial or delay.

When Kelly’s client was 19 he was convicted of Aiding and Abetting Felony First Degree Burglary in Hennepin County for allegedly entering an acquaintance’s home with friends after a party without permission and breaking a door with a brick.  As a result of this conviction, he was subject to a lifetime firearms prohibition. Kelly was able to demonstrate her client’s subsequent successes and  rehabilitation to the judge in order to show that this was an isolated incident in an otherwise good and successful life. The judge agreed, restoring his rights so that he can take his daughter hunting, inherit his father’s guns, and attend hunting outings with friends and colleagues.

Kelly’s client was convicted of Felony Second Degree Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Isanti County for attacking a patron at a bar with a beer bottle, resulting in a permanent loss of his firearm rights. Kelly was able to convince the judge that he had rehabilitated, since some years had passed since the conviction, he had married and had children, and had become a respected expert in his field. As a result, Kelly’s client, who is an avid outdoorsman, can once again hunt with a firearm, including with his 88-year-old grandfather and oldest daughter, who asked him to take her deer hunting.

Kelly’s client was convicted of Felony Terroristic Threats in Mille Lacs County for making threatening gestures during a road-rage incident, leading to a lifetime ban on possessing firearms. The ban hit him hard as he was an avid hunter and expert bird-dog trainer and had hunted all his life. Kelly’s client came to her because he had continued to train his dog and dreamed of hunting again. He had tried twice in the past to restore his rights and had been denied both times. His third attempt would be his last. Despite the serious charge and State opposition to the reinstatement, Kelly was able to convince the judge that her client no longer posed a threat. At the hearing, the judge commended her client for his rehabilitation. His rights were restored and he may hunt once again with his well-trained bird dog.

When Kelly’s client was in high school she was called a derogatory slur by a classmate and punched him in the face in response, necessitating 14 stitches in his lip. She was ultimately adjudicated delinquent in Hennepin County Juvenile Court of Felony Third Degree Assault, which led to a lifetime loss of her gun rights. And, despite the fact  it was a juvenile proceeding, in Minnesota, if you are age 16 or 17 and charged with a felony offense, records of the proceedings and outcome are public record and can show up on a background check. The public nature of the conviction troubled her client as it was a constant reminder of harassment and discrimination, and it was costing her job opportunities. Despite the serious nature of the conviction, Kelly was able to convince the judge to both grant an expungement and restore her client’s gun rights, letting her client finally put to rest a painful incident from her past.