The U.S. Justice Department is facing backlash from both gun rights groups and LGBTQ+ advocates after reports surfaced that Trump administration officials have discussed restricting transgender people from owning firearms.
According to the Associated Press report, the idea apparently arose following the Aug. 27 shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school that federal officials said was carried out by a transgender individual.
LGBTQ+ advocates called the idea discriminatory, noting that transgender people are disproportionately victims rather than perpetrators of violence. “Everyone deserves to be themselves, be safe, and be free from violence and discrimination,” GLAAD said in a statement.
Gun rights groups also vowed to fight any proposal.
The NRA issued a statement declaring, “The NRA does not, and will not, support any policy proposals that implement sweeping gun bans that arbitrarily strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process.”
Gun Owners of America (GOA) issued a short statement on social media: “GOA opposes any and all gun bans. Full stop.”
The Justice Department said it is evaluating ways to address violence linked to mental health and substance abuse but emphasized that “no specific criminal justice proposals have been advanced at this time.”
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