WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department is considering proposals to prevent transgender people from buying guns, U.S. media reported on Thursday.
CNN, citing unnamed sources, described talks on the matter as “preliminary in nature” and said they stemmed from last week’s shooting at a Catholic church in Minnesota, which left two children dead and 17 others injured. The suspect in the shooting was transgender, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The New York Post, also citing unnamed sources, also reported that talks were under way.
“The DOJ is actively evaluating options to prevent the pattern of violence we have seen from individuals with specific mental health challenges and substance abuse disorders. No specific criminal justice proposals have been advanced at this time,” a Justice Department spokesperson said when asked about the media reports.
The talks within President Donald Trump’s administration would pit the Republican Party’s long-held support of gun rights against the administration’s moves to limit the rights of transgender Americans.
Trump previously signed executive orders banning transgender people from the military and mandating that identification documents issued by the government be based on “an individual’s immutable biological classification as either male or female.”
The Gun Owners of America rights group in a social media post responding to CNN’s report said: “GOA opposes any & all gun bans. Full stop.”
Although the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right for U.S. citizens to bear arms, there are several exceptions, including convicts and anyone declared as mentally “defective,” according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Jasper Ward; Editing by Nia Williams)
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