Words you will see
These are words you may see in the screener and the steps. Each one is explained for this process only. This is information, not legal advice. For help with your own situation, talk to a licensed attorney.
- Adjudication
- A formal decision by a court. For example, a court may decide that a person has a mental-health condition. The screener asks about it only to show which rule applies.
- Application and petition
- An application is a request sent to an agency. A petition is a request made to a court. Rights Restore prepares a packet for an application. It does not prepare a court filing.
- Attestation
- A written statement that what you said is true, with your signature or tick. You make one before you file. Only you can make it.
- Background check
- A search of records about a person. In this process, a check is one way an agency may confirm what you told it. The steps page shows which checks are asked for and what they cost.
- Certified copy
- A copy of a court record that the court has stamped or signed as a true copy. You request it from the court clerk. A plain photocopy is not the same thing.
- Commitment
- When a court orders a person to be held for mental-health care. It is one reason a person may lose firearm rights.
- Conviction
- A court finding that a person is guilty of a crime. It can come from a trial or from a guilty plea.
- Court records
- The papers a court keeps about a case. They show the charge, the result and the sentence. The records request step helps you ask for them.
- Denial
- A decision that says no to an application. The rule sets a time to wait before you ask again.
- Discretion
- The power to decide. The Department of Justice decides each application at its discretion, so no result is promised.
- Extraordinary circumstances
- A narrow exception the rule describes for some cases. The screener never decides whether it applies. A licensed attorney can explain it.
- Fingerprint card
- A card with your fingerprints, taken by a trained person. Your fingerprints are used for a check of your record. The fingerprints step explains where to go and what it costs.
- Indictment
- A formal charge that says a person must answer to a crime in court. It is not a finding of guilt.
- Packet
- The set of pages Rights Restore puts together for you, with a copy sheet. You read it, fix it, and file it yourself. Rights Restore never files it for you.
- Presumptive
- Starting from an assumption. When a rule is "presumptive", it starts by assuming an answer, and a narrow exception may still apply.
- Reference letter
- A letter from someone who knows you. The person answers a few questions and signs. You send them a link. You do not write it for them.
- Sentence
- The punishment a court orders after a conviction. It can include jail or prison, probation, fines and other terms.
- Sentence completion
- The day everything in the sentence was finished: time served, probation or parole, and fines. In this version of the rules table, the waiting period is counted from this date.
- Personal statement
- Your own account, in your own words. The service asks questions and drafts only from your answers. You review and change every word.
- Supervision
- Time when you must follow rules set by a court or an officer after a sentence. It includes probation, parole and supervised release.
- Waiting period
- A set number of years the rule says to wait before an application. The screener shows the date it counts to, based on the dates you enter. It is information about the rule, not a decision about you.