Today, HRC called for Congress to pass legislation that mandates universal background checks for the purchase of firearms in the United States in response to the introduction of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 and a similar bill in the Senate.

“It is long past time for Congress and this White House to take real action to end gun violence,” said HRC Government Affairs Director David Stacy. “There is bipartisan support for meaningful steps to stop these preventable tragedies, including an assurance that no person in this country can purchase a firearm without clearing a background check. From Newtown to Orlando to Parkland to Pittsburgh, Americans have called for action, only to be ignored. No more.”

In 2016, after a gunman killed 49 people - most of them LGBTQ and Latinx - in Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub, HRC’s Board of Directors adopted a resolution that addresses both the epidemic of hate that has fueled anti-LGBTQ-motivated murder, assault and discrimination as well as common-sense gun violence prevention policies that would help keep the LGBTQ community safe. The resolution established HRC’s organizational position that the safety of LGBTQ people in the United States requires the adoption of common-sense gun violence prevention measures, including limiting access to assault-style rifles, expanding background checks, and limiting the ability for suspected terrorists--and those with a history of violence against women--to access guns.

According to Everytown for Gun Safety, more than 33,000 gun deaths happen every year.