50 LGBT rights groups sign plea for gun control after Orlando massacre

50 LGBT rights groups have issued a joint statement calling for restrictions on weapon sales, after the massacre in Orlando.

49 people were killed and 53 injured in the shocking terrorist hate crime attack over the weekend, which saw a gunman open fire inside The Pulse gay bar in Orlando, Florida.

With over 100 people dead or injured, it stands at the largest-scale shooting in US history.

In response, 50 influential LGBT rights groups from across the US have joined together to push for gun controls. The shooter, Omar Mateen, was able to legally purchased the assault weapons he used in the attack, even though he had previously been flagged by authorities.

The statement, below in full, calls for greater background checks on weapon sales, and the prevention of sales to hate crime suspects.

It is signed by more than 50 groups, including GLAAD, Lambda Legal and Equality Florida - though the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT group in the US, is conspicuously absent.

UPDATE: While HRC did not sign the letter, HRC's Board of Directors have now adopted a resolution endorsing "common-sense gun violence prevention policies that would help keep the LGBTQ community safe".
The letter in full: As U.S. government leaders continue to grapple with addressing gun violence-prevention following last weekend’s homophobic massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, LGBTQ and gun violence-prevention advocates and activists are calling for more stringent checks to keep guns out of dangerous hands.

The Orlando tragedy, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, highlights how vulnerable LGBTQ communities are to hate-fuelled violence, especially LGBTQ communities of colour.

Hate violence has risen sharply in recent years, with a 20% increase in reported LGBTQ homicides in the U.S. between 2014 and 2015, according to a study released this week by The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP). Of the homicides reported last year, 62% were LGBTQ people of colour.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) hate crime statistics tell us year after year that people are most frequently targeted for hate violence based on the personal characteristics related to race, religion, and sexual orientation. According to The Williams Institute, gay men report being victims of violent hate crimes at a higher rate than any other targeted group, and these crimes are more violent and result in hospitalisation more often.

And yet we cannot ignore the fact that transgender people are at great risk of being victims of hate violence because of their gender identity and this reality is even worse for those who are also targeted on the basis of their race, ethnicity, class, and citizenship status. Fifty-four percent of all hate-violence related LGBTQ homicides were transgender women of colour, according to the NCAVP study.

We recognise the need to address the bigotry that motivates acts of violence toward LGBTQ people, and we also recognise that such violence is far more deadly when carried out with firearms.

Any solutions to the problem of hate violence, including anti-LGBTQ violence, must address the alarmingly easy access that bigots have to such deadly weapons. For example, under current law, people convicted of violent hate crimes can legally buy and possess guns. This is unacceptable.

With each new massacre, most recently the one in Orlando, we hope the number of homicides has pushed Americans over the threshold of tolerance for hatred fuelled by people who seek to divide the country; for weak gun laws that arm those with hate in their hearts; and for the more than 90 victims of gun killings nationwide each day, affecting people of all backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities.

Assault-style weapons, like the Sig Sauer MCX rifle used in Sunday’s Pulse nightclub shooting, can be purchased legally in the state of Florida without a background check – as long as the purchase is made from an unlicensed seller.

Eighteen states have already taken steps to close this dangerous “unlicensed sale loophole.” But in the remaining states, including Florida, anyone can buy a gun from an unlicensed seller with no background check, no questions asked.

Under current U.S. federal law, people on terror watch lists can legally buy guns, exploiting this “terror gap.” Since 2004, more than 2,000 terror suspects have taken advantage of this loophole. But we also recognise how this screening mechanism has the dangerous potential to profile specific communities on the basis of their actual or perceived race, religion, national origin, and other attributes.

Orlando is the sixth mass shooting in the U.S. since January 2009 to be investigated as an act of terrorism by the FBI. Americans are 25 times more likely than people in other developed countries to fall victim to a gun homicide.

The federal background check system established in 1994 by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act has blocked more than 2.6 million gun sales to prohibited purchasers at licensed dealers; however, an estimated 40% of gun sales across the U.S. take place without a background check, primarily at gun shows and online.

We urge Congress to make a start towards stronger protections against gun violence nationwide by enacting laws to:

1. Prevent known and suspected terrorists and those convicted of violent hate crimes from legally buying guns.

2. Ensure that criminal background checks are required on all gun sales, including online and at gun shows.

Signed,

AIDS Alabama Americans for Responsible Solutions Arcus Foundation Athlete Ally Auburn Theological Seminary Believe Out Loud BiNet USA Bisexual Resource Center The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United with The Million Mom March Campaign To Unload Congregation Beit Simchat Torah The David Bohnett Foundation Equality Alabama Equality Federation Equality Florida Equality Illinois Equality New Mexico Equality North Carolina Equality Pennsylvania Everytown for Gun Safety Fair Wisconsin Faith in America Family Equality Council Freedom to Work Gay Men’s Health Crisis GLAAD GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality GLSEN GroundSpark/The Respect for All Project GSA Network – Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network International Imperial Court System Lambda Legal LPAC National Black Justice Coalition National Center for Lesbian Rights National Center for Transgender Equality National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce National LGBTQ Task Force National Religious Leadership Roundtable New York City Anti-Violence Project NMAC: National Minority AIDS Council One Colorado Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ Out & Equal Workplace Advocates OutServe-SLDN Pride at Work Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) Stonewall National Museum & Archives Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund The Trevor Project United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER)