Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, no person who has been convicted of a felony; has been discharged under less than honorable conditions from the armed forces of the United States; has been adjudicated as a mental incompetent or has been committed involuntarily to a mental institution; is an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States; or is addicted to alcohol, a controlled substance or a drug, or is an unlawful user thereof shall have in his or her possession any firearm or other deadly weapon; provided that, any person prohibited from possessing a firearm or other deadly weapon by the provisions of this section may petition the circuit court of the county in which he or she resides and if the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that such person is competent and capable of exercising the responsibility concomitant with the possession of a firearm or other deadly weapon the court may enter an order allowing such person to possess such weapon if such would not violate any federal statute.
(W.Va. Code § 61-7-7)