LGBT advocacy organization Human Rights Campaign (HRC) partnered with 49 celebrities this week to produce a video honoring the 49 Orlando terror attack victims and calling for increased gun control measures.
Celebrities including Chris Pine, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kerry Washington, George Lopez, Demi Lovato, Lady Gaga, Jane Fonda, Connie Britton, Sofia Vergara, Jamie Lee Curtis, Rob Reiner and Empire creator Lee Daniels participated in the video, each delivering a somber eulogy for every one of the Orlando terror victims.
“For too long, a toxic combination of anti-LGBTQ hate and easy access to guns has put LGBTQ people at disproportionate risk of violence and murder,” the Human Right Campaign said in a statement accompanying the video.
“On June 12, forty-nine innocent people — most of them Latinx — were killed at Pulse nightclub in Orlando simply because of who they were. It’s on all of us to keep their memories alive, and to ensure part of their legacy becomes meaningful action to end hate violence. Join the Human Rights Campaign and urge your legislator to support legislation that will ensure LGBTQ people are safe and equal in every community and find out how to support the survivors and families of the Orlando victims.”
The video concludes with a title card:
“Since the massacre, Congress has voted down common sense gun safety laws … four times. Meanwhile, more than 200 bills targeting the LGBTQ community have been introduced in states this year. It will take all of us to change that.”
The “Stop the Hate” campaign website includes links to email Congressional representatives to urge action on “common-sense gun and non-discrimination legislation,” and also includes a link for donations to the families of the Orlando victims.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, HRC president Chad Griffin said the campaign was tied to Congress’s refusal to pass gun control legislation.
“The NRA is one of the most powerful entities in the world today, and they truly hold many of our elected officials hostage,” Griffin told THR. “Many of the elected officials that are voting on behalf of the NRA are the same officials who are voting time and time again, to roll back equal rights and protections for LGBTQ people.”
In its campaign, the HRC failed to point out that the Orlando gunman complied with all gun control laws — including a background check system. Moreover, one of the background checks he took to get a job with G4S Security Solutions included a mental evaluation, which he also passed. He also went through a mandatory, state-imposed three-day waiting period before picking up his handgun from the store where he bought it.
Also notably absent from the video was any mention of radical Islam or jihadism, though the FBI has said that Orlando gunman Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group both on social media and in a call to authorities on the night of the attack.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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