It’s an unfortunate reality when mass shootings have become synonymous with the American identity. While all loss of life is tragic, the carnage entailed with gun violence leaves a particularly grotesque stain on the United States and its people, especially its most vulnerable. In fact, according to Johns Hopkins, gun violence is the leading cause of death for children ages one to 17 with firearms accounting for nearly a third of all deaths among youths aged 15 to 17. As of Aug. 27, there have been 44 school shootings in the United States – 22 of which were at K-12 schools.

The most recent school shooting occurred at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, injuring 18 people and killing two. The two deceased were 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, both of whom were sitting in a church during the first week of school Mass – a whole future robbed from them in a matter of minutes.

The shooter was 23-year-old Robin Westman, and their motive may forever be unknown. Publications such as the New York Post and Fox News have pointed out the shooter’s transgender identity, in turn creating more fear among their audiences toward the trans community.

Instead of proposing legislation to improve background checks or ban assault weapons, the federal government is looking into potentially barring transgender Americans from owning firearms. The Associated Press reported the Department of Justice began to float around the idea in wake of the Annunciation shooting, drawing criticism from people across the entire political spectrum. In fact, the National Rifle Association – who historically has supported President Donald Trump and Republican politicians – has even criticized the move.

“The NRA supports the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans to purchase, possess and use firearms,” the group said in a statement. “NRA does not, and will not, support any policy proposals that implement sweeping gun bans that arbitrarily strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process.”

Another gun rights group called Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms also called out the move, claiming it was unconstitutional to ban firearm access for any American.

“Prohibiting whole groups of people from owning and using firearms because a sick individual misused a gun to harm and kill children is as reprehensible as restricting the rights of all law-abiding citizens because some people have committed crimes,”Alan Gottlieb, the group’s chairman, said in a statement. “That anyone in the Trump administration would consider such nonsense is alarming.”

LGBTQ+ advocates have also called out the potential ban as misguided, as most shootings in the United States have been carried out by men and don’t involve trans folks.

“Transgender people are less than two percent of the overall population, yet four times as likely to be victims of crime,” GLAAD said in an email to the Associated Press. “Everyone deserves to be themselves, be safe, and be free from violence and discrimination. We all deserve leaders who prioritize keeping all of us safe and free.”

The trans gun ban – reported on by CNN – is one of many moves the Trump Administration has taken against the trans community in the United States. One of the first actions taken was the reinstatement of the trans military ban from Trump’s first term, in addition to removing the term “transgender” from federal agencies’ websites. The federal government has also banned trans women from playing on women’s sports teams; rifled through medical records for information about patients receiving gender-affirming care across the country and attempted to bar changing gender identifiers on passports.

According to the Associated Press, the Department of Justice is “actively evaluating options to prevent the pattern of violence we have seen from individuals with specific mental health challenges and substance abuse disorders,” not ruling out a potential gun ban for trans Americans.

“It’s incredibly worrying … that seems to be on the table for them,” Alejandra Caraballo, a transgender rights activist and Harvard Law School instructor. “This is not something that would be that incredibly difficult to do logistically or practically but it would be politically explosive in terms of the backlash of Second Amendment groups.”

It’s become clear the Trump Administration and the MAGA movement are still as hellbent as ever with their dedicated witch hunt for trans Americans and their constitutional rights. This time, they’re coming after one of the few ways trans Americans can defend themselves from potential attacks by those who would prefer to see the LGBTQ+ community eradicated.

The Second Amendment states:

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

The right of the people to keep and bear arms is not exclusive to Republicans or Democrats – it’s an inalienable right guaranteed to us by law, despite any reprehensible designs by Trump, his administration or his supporters.