“It is long past time for Congress and this White House to take real action in bringing an end to 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, and all of the other communities that are devastated by acts of gun violence every day that never make the news, 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.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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