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Mel Gibson has had quite a few scrapes with the law over the course of his career.
One of the worst came in 2011, when the Braveheart star was arrested on domestic battery charges.
He avoided jail time by pleading no contest to the charges, but the deal meant that Gibson — like most people with domestic violence on their record — would be prohibited from buying or owning firearms.
But Mel is a very outspoken (and, more importantly, very wealthy) supporter of President Donald Trump, which means he’s currently operating under a very different set of rules than the ones that apply to most Americans.
Mel Gibson will reportedly have his gun rights restored by the Trump administration
According to a new report from the New York Times, Attorney General Pam Bondi has approved the Trump administration’s decision to restore Gibson’s gun rights.
It’s a privilege that was reserved for very few, as Mel is one of only nine people whose right to bear arms will be restored.
The administration moved mountains to get Gibson on that list, allegedly going so far as to fire a Department of Justice attorney who expressed doubts about the decision.
A controversial process
Attorney Elizabeth G. Oyer says she was part of a committee whose job was to review cases of individuals with past convictions who could be eligible to restore their gun rights.
After completing her list, Oyer was dismayed when senior Justice Department officials asked her to add Gibson’s name.
“No one has told me why I was fired. But the notice was delivered hours after I declined to recommend reinstating the gun rights of a famous friend of the president, the actor Mel Gibson, who has a history of violence against women,” she wrote in an article for Rolling Stone.
“When I came into work on Friday morning, I said to a colleague, I really think that Mel Gibson might be my downfall, and within hours of saying that, I was being escorted out of my office,” Oyer told CNN in a recent interview.
This is not the first time that Gibson has received unexpected privileges from the new Trump administration.
In January, the White House announced plans to make Gibson a “special ambassador” between Hollywood and D.C., alongside fellow Trump supporters Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight.
It’s unclear what sort of duties that team will undertake, but Mel might show up to their meetings strapped, just because he can!