Loss of Rights for Felons in Sacramento – Voting, Guns, Etc.

Loss of Rights for Felons in Sacramento – Voting, Guns, Etc.

Losing your rights as a felon is a big deal, but most people don’t really understand what that means until it happens to them. As someone with a record living in Sacramento, I wanted to break it down and talk about what you can and can’t do once you’ve been convicted of a felony. There’s a lot of confusion and misinformation out there, so hopefully this article can help make things more clear.

Voting Rights

One of the biggest things people worry about is losing their right to vote. In California, the law says you lose your voting rights while your serving your sentence, including any parole or probation time. Once your completely done with parole and probation, you get your voting rights back automatically. You don’t have to apply or anything, you can just register to vote again.

Some states are different and don’t restore voting rights at all for felons. That’s not the case here, at least not anymore. So if your a felon in Sacramento, don’t worry – you’ll get to vote again someday. Just make sure your 100% done with parole and probation first.

Gun Rights

Owning a gun is a big no-no for felons in California. State law prohibits anyone convicted of a felony from possessing a firearm, even if the felony wasn’t a violent crime. That means you can’t purchase, own, or even hold someone else’s gun. If you do, you could be charged with a new felony “felon in possession of a firearm.”

Some people think gun rights get restored after a certain period of time, but that’s not true. The firearm ban is for life. The only option is to apply for a Certificate of Rehabilitation, which won’t happen until 7-10 years after your release from prison. Even then, California has total discretion whether to grant it or not.

Bottom line – don’t mess around with guns if you have a record in California. It’s not worth risking another felony charge and more time behind bars.

Other Legal Restrictions

There’s a bunch of other random things felons can’t do in California. For example, you can’t serve on a jury, hold public office, or get licensed as a contractor, real estate agent, security guard, or other jobs that require background checks and trust. Certain felony convictions, like fraud or abuse crimes, can also ban you from working in healthcare, education, and fields involving kids or vulnerable people.

Oh, and don’t forget not being able to get government benefits like welfare and public housing if your conviction involved drug charges. That part really sucks.

On top of all that, there’s the social stigma of being an ex-con. Good luck getting a job or apartment with a record – most places won’t touch you, no matter how qualified you are. It’s basically a scarlet letter that follows you around for life.

Fighting Back Against Discrimination

Even though there’s a lot of legal restrictions, some things felons deal with are actually illegal discrimination. Like how it’s against federal law for employers and landlords to have blanket bans against hiring or renting to people with criminal records. They’re supposed to consider each person individually, not just say no felons allowed.

So if you run into issues getting a job or apartment because of your record, don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself! Point out that they need to actually look at your application instead of automatically rejecting you. File a complaint with the EEOC or HUD if they won’t listen. You still have rights as a felon!