John,

On Saturday evening, patrons entered Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, CO, as they did any other weekend evening, ready for drag performances and dancing. But instead of joy and love, hatred entered this safe space when a gunman with an AR-15 assault rifle opened fire on those inside the club. He killed five people and injured 25 others in only minutes. 

This targeted shooting was carried out with an assault rifle because of its deadly design, created to kill as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. The shooter was only stopped because two heroic people confronted and disarmed him, preventing further, unimaginable tragedy. 

Please, after this heinous attack on the LGBTQ+ community, will you stand with us against hate and gun violence? Brady is asking 10,000 supporters to add their name to our urgent petition calling on Congress to ban weapons of war:

This tragedy is a devastating reminder that the same places we call safe havens can become targets for deadly, hateful violence because of America’s gun violence epidemic. Six years ago, another refuge for the gay community was targeted when a gunman shot and killed 49 people, injuring 53 others, at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL – the deadliest hate crime committed against LGBTQ+ people in modern U.S. history.

John, it shouldn’t be up to the patrons of a bar to stop a shooter in their tracks. People seeking safe spaces for their communities should not wonder if they will get out of them alive. Hateful attacks are made deadly with assault rifles and we cannot sit idly by while more vulnerable communities are at risk of violence. We’ve had enough, and we know you have too. Will you add your name to our petition and urge Congress to take action?

– Team Brady