The National Rifle Association has strongly opposed reported discussions within the Department of Justice about restricting transgender individuals from purchasing firearms, calling the proposal a violation of the Second Amendment. The NRA emphasized in a Friday press release that “the Second Amendment isn’t up for debate,” asserting its commitment to protecting the rights of all law-abiding Americans to own guns. The group criticized any measures that would “arbitrarily strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process.”

Internal Department of Justice meetings reportedly explored limitations on transgender people’s access to firearms, though no official policies have been finalized. Advocacy groups like Gun Owners of America echoed the NRA’s stance, vowing opposition to any gun bans. The discussion emerged amid broader debates over Second Amendment protections and policies targeting transgender individuals, with some citing a “pattern” of violence linked to transgender perpetrators. A recent shooting at a Minnesota Catholic Church, in which a legally armed individual killed two children, was referenced as part of the conversation.