DOJ Reports Plans to Restrict Gun Ownership for Transgender Americans

The Trump administration, through the Department of Justice, is reportedly considering regulations that would restrict gun ownership for transgender Americans following a deadly mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school by a suspect who identified as trans-feminine. Officials are exploring whether to classify gender dysphoria as a mental health condition that would disqualify transgender individuals from exercising their Second Amendment rights, a significant and controversial shift that could face constitutional challenges. Conservative allies of President Trump have argued that gender dysphoria should bar firearm purchases, despite data showing that transgender individuals are responsible for a very small fraction of mass shootings. Experts emphasize that the majority of mass shooters are cisgender males and that there is no evidence linking transgender identity with higher rates of mass violence. This move would escalate the Trump administration's ongoing stance against transgender rights, which includes previous executive orders barring transgender individuals from military service and policies affecting transgender inmates and gender-affirming care providers.