Justin Freeman, a Connecticut attorney with a past conviction for nonviolent tax fraud, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging both state and federal laws that prohibit him from owning firearms. Freeman, who served an eight-month sentence and repaid more than $400,000 in restitution, voluntarily surrendered his law license in 2019 but has since been reinstated by both the Connecticut and federal bar associations. Despite having no history of violence or repeat offenses, Freeman remains barred from legally owning guns—a restriction he now argues is unconstitutional.
Filed on June 9, Freeman’s suit names U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, 13 state prosecutors, and the head of Connecticut’s Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. His legal team, led by attorney Cameron Atkinson, argues that Freeman’s continued disarmament amounts to an unjustified deprivation of his Second Amendment rights. “If every judge and disciplinary board believes he’s not a threat to society, why is he still treated like one when it comes to gun ownership?” Atkinson said in a statement.
The case shines a spotlight on the limited avenues available for rights restoration. In Connecticut, there is no formal process to reinstate gun rights for nonviolent felons. Federally, the process is notoriously opaque and rarely successful; only a handful of individuals—including actor Mel Gibson—have received such relief. Freeman’s lawsuit contends that this absence of a clear, fair pathway makes current laws overly punitive and legally vulnerable.
State Attorney General William Tong has vowed to defend Connecticut’s “commonsense” gun laws, suggesting the state will argue that lifetime bans, even for nonviolent offenders, are crucial to public safety. Yet Freeman’s case taps into a broader national debate: should all felons, regardless of the nature of their crime, face permanent restrictions on constitutional rights? If successful, Freeman’s lawsuit could set a precedent, potentially opening the door for thousands of Americans with similar convictions to reclaim their Second Amendment freedoms.
