Legal Question in Criminal Law in Louisiana

After a conviction, charges are not reduced because the matter is resolved by the plea of guilty. Your Constitutional Right to bear arms are not restored until after the passage of ten years from the date you are released from state custody or supervision. Simply, the ten years begin to run after your parole or probation is terminated. The expungement statute under which you pled only removes this conviction from the publics view and not from the inspection of governmental/law enforcement agencies. If you are arrested, after expunging your record of the conviction, for possession of a firearm, you can be charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. An expungement does not prohibit the State from prosecuting you as such nor as an Habitual Offender if convicted of another felony within the ten year cleansing period.

You can petition the State of Louisiana for permission to purchase a hunting rifle and explain your situation. It is my guess that you will be denied because of the conviction but you can try.