DOJ Deliberations on Transgender Gun Ownership Rule Sparks Controversy (Archived)
DOJ Deliberations on Transgender Gun Ownership Rule Sparks Controversy (Archived)
In May 2023, senior Justice Department officials engaged in internal discussions regarding a potential rule that could restrict transgender individuals from owning firearms. These early-stage policy debates, reportedly influenced by right-wing media chatter, followed a Minneapolis Catholic church shooting attributed by the FBI to a transgender woman. While there is no evidence suggesting transgender people are more prone to violence, and they are disproportionately victims of violent crime, officials debated whether a gender dysphoria diagnosis could disqualify individuals under federal law pertaining to ‘adjudicated as mental defective’.
The American Psychiatric Association and other major medical bodies do not classify being transgender as a mental illness. This potential move, which would have faced significant opposition from both civil rights and gun rights groups, marked a controversial proposed escalation in the Trump Administration’s efforts concerning transgender rights, a stance that appeared to conflict with the DOJ’s broader efforts to expand Second Amendment rights for other groups.
A Justice Department spokesperson stated at the time that the DOJ was ‘actively evaluating options to prevent the pattern of violence we have seen from individuals with specific mental health challenges and substance abuse disorders,’ adding that ‘no specific criminal justice proposals have been advanced at this time.’
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