Key takeaways:

• Elizabeth Oyer, a DOJ official, was dismissed after opposing the restoration of Mel Gibson's gun rights.
• Gibson lost firearm ownership due to a domestic violence misdemeanor from 2011.
• Oyer emphasized the safety risks associated with granting gun rights to individuals with domestic violence convictions.
• The Justice Department denied that Gibson's case was the reason for her termination.

Elizabeth G. Oyer, the pardon attorney for the Justice Department, claims she was fired after refusing to recommend the restoration of actor Mel Gibson's gun rights, a decision she believes jeopardized public safety. Oyer's dismissal occurred shortly after she opposed internal pressure to add Gibson's name to a list of individuals eligible for firearm reinstatement following his 2011 domestic violence misdemeanor conviction. “This is dangerous. This isn't political — this is a safety issue,” Oyer stated in an interview with HuffPost, highlighting the potential risks involved in restoring gun rights to individuals with such a history.

The actor, who has garnered attention for his political affiliations with former President Donald Trump and was recently designated as a “special ambassador” to Hollywood, had previously lost his firearm ownership rights due to a history of domestic abuse allegations, including a recorded threat to harm his ex-girlfriend. Oyer explained that her resistance to recommending Gibson's reinstatement was based on her ethical obligation to prioritize public safety over political considerations, claiming that domestic abusers with firearms pose a significantly heightened risk of violence.

Oyer described how she was approached by officials within the Justice Department, who argued that Gibson's close ties to Trump should be sufficient grounds for approving his request. In response to the directive, Oyer crafted a memo recommending against Gibson’s reintegration into the list of individuals eligible for restoration of gun rights, stating that decisions should reflect the gravity of public safety. Despite her rationale, Oyer was terminated within hours of submitting her memo, and her account has been corroborated by multiple sources within the department.

In her statement, Oyer expressed concerns that the integrity of the Justice Department's decision-making is compromised when influenced by political relationships rather than facts and thorough analysis. The Justice Department has since denied that the case played any role in Oyer's dismissal, framing it as an independent personnel issue. This incident adds to the broader conversation surrounding the political implications of pardon decisions and the cavalier attitude towards domestic violence in relation to gun rights.

For more details, visit The Hill.

More information can be found in an in-depth article available at Salon.