PRAGMATIC ISSUES

The NRA has discovered a brand-new hill to die on and shocker, it’s painted in trans pride colors.

Yes, the same organization that’s spent decades smearing “woke culture” now wants to be the loudest voice in the room defending transgender rights… so long as the rights involve semiautomatics.

When the Justice Department floated the idea of banning transgender Americans from purchasing firearms, the NRA’s crocodile tears hit the floor faster than a dropped magazine. Suddenly, the organization that rails against drag queens in libraries and “gender ideology” in schools has become the guardian angel of the very community it’s vilified. Why? Because for the NRA, rights are sacred only when they come locked and loaded. Forget healthcare, forget job protections, forget bathroom access if you’re not packing heat, the NRA doesn’t care.

But the second the government suggests restricting your ability to buy a Glock, you’re family now.

Here is how it played out:

The Justice Department floated banning transgender people from buying guns after a mass shooting by someone who is transgender,  which in turn prompted an unexpected response from gun rights groups.

The NRA opposed the proposal, saying it would unconstitutionally strip law-abiding citizens of their 2nd Amendment rights without due process. Which is the same argument it and many others have with the idea of taking guns away from folks who are not in the right head space, which is what the argument should be about…but that is another story for another time.

This highlights tensions within Trump’s coalition over constitutional precedents that could be exploited by future unfriendly administrations.

It’s the ultimate shotgun wedding of hypocrisy. Imagine a world where the NRA is lobbying alongside ACLU attorneys, chanting, “Trans rights are human rights!” But, only if those rights come with a background check and a box of hollow-points.

It’s like the Grinch who stole Christmas, except the Grinch kept the guns, handed back the rainbow flags, and said, “Oops, my bad, second amendment applies to everyone.”

Let’s be real, this isn’t about solidarity.

It’s about sales.

Transgender Americans, like everyone else, represent a potential customer base.

And nothing rattles the gun lobby more than the prospect of the government shrinking the size of that base. The NRA didn’t suddenly see the light of inclusion, it just saw dollar signs on pink-and-blue targets.

If anything, the Justice Department’s trial balloon just proved how fragile the NRA’s moral compass really is. The group will twist itself into a pretzel to defend a marginalized community it’s spent years demonizing, because when forced to choose between culture-war purity and gun profits, the cash register always wins.

So, if you’re trans and looking for allies, don’t expect the NRA to back you up on housing discrimination or hate crimes.

But…if the government dares to come between you and your AR-15, Wayne LaPierre himself will march in your parade.

Just don’t ask him to clap when you pass by, he’ll be too busy reloading.