Pride Fund to End Gun Violence endorses Hillary Clinton
Endorsement driven by Clinton's push for gun reform measures, including closing the 'Charleston loophole'
An LGBT political action committee (PAC) created in the wake of the mass shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub is endorsing Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
The Pride Fund to End Gun Violence made the announcement on Tuesday, with the group’s executive director meeting with Clinton during a stop in Tampa as she campaigns throughout the battleground state of Florida, reports FloridaPolitics.com.
The PAC, which aims to reform the nation’s gun laws by placing “sensible restrictions” on the ability to purchase and sell firearms, was created to endorse those federal candidates who support gun reform and who also support LGBT rights.
“We are endorsing Hillary Clinton for the presidency because her record on gun policy and LGBT rights reflect the will of the American people, not the gun lobby,” the group’s executive director, Jason Lindsay, said in a statement. “Hillary Clinton has committed to achieving clear policy reforms, like putting comprehensive background checks in place and closing loopholes that put guns in the hands of violent criminals and terrorists.”
Following the mass shooting at Pulse, which killed 49 people and wounded 53 others, many LGBT groups have begun to form their own organizations or get involved with existing organizations that advocate for greater restrictions on guns, particularly those that they have dubbed “assault weapons.” The Pride Fund was one of several organizations that took part in a protest in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 12 to commemorate the two-month anniversary of the shooting while also calling on the political class to pass gun reform measures.
In endorsing Clinton, the Pride Fund also contrasted her record with that of her Republican opponent, Donald Trump. In particular, Pride Fund supports Clinton’s proposal to close the ‘Charleston loophole,’ a lapse in the background check system for gun-buyers that allows a person to purchase a firearm after three days, even if the background check is not complete.
“Clinton’s opponent has espoused the most regressive, anti-LGBT platform in modern American history,” Patty Sheehan, an openly gay Orlando City Commissioner and a member of Pride Fund’s board of advisors, said in a statement skewering Trump. “Florida voters are tired of hateful rhetoric that seeks to restrict the rights of LGBT citizens while allowing violent criminals and terrorists to have access to firearms.”
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