BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Supreme Court has rejected a Pennsylvania man's attempt to have his gun rights restored under Idaho law.

In a ruling released Wednesday, the justices said a lower-court judge correctly ruled that Todd Rich lacked legal authority to file his lawsuit. The justices also say the mechanism for restoring civil rights is through the commission of pardons and parole, not through district courts. Rich was convicted of rape in Idaho in 1992, a felony that comes with a permanent loss of gun rights.

His conviction, however, was reduced to a misdemeanor through a 2004 sentencing agreement. Rich now lives in Pennsylvania, where a judge has ruled that he cannot own a gun because of the rape case.

More From Kool 96.5