Overview

• Anonymous Justice Department officials discussed using administrative authority to treat transgender status or gender dysphoria as disqualifying for firearm ownership following the late‑August Minneapolis church shooting that killed two children.
• A White House spokesperson characterized the conversations as very preliminary, and the DOJ says it is evaluating options focused on certain mental‑health and substance‑use issues without advancing any rule.
• Fox News reports that the Office of Legal Counsel has been involved and that any legal framework could include ATF, though no action has been formally initiated.
• Major gun‑rights groups including the NRA, Gun Owners of America, the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Second Amendment Foundation, and allied organizations publicly rejected any categorical ban as a violation of due process.
• LGBTQ organizations such as GLAAD condemned the idea as scapegoating, and legal analysts argue it lacks a clear statutory basis and would likely fail under the Supreme Court’s Bruen‑era standards for gun regulations.