Five Dead, 18 Reported Injured from Shooting at Club Q Night Before Trans Day of Remembrance
COLORADO SPRINGS – Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statements on the mass shooting at the LGBTQ+ Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado last night in which five people were reported killed and at least 18 more wounded. Club Q had several events scheduled for today, Sunday, November 20, to commemorate Trans Day of Remembrance, a day in which we honor the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people whose lives have been cut short far too soon.
“This horrific attack in Colorado Springs is felt in the hearts of all of us in the LGBTQ+ community,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Everyone should be free to celebrate their true selves without fear of being shot. We stand in solidarity with all those grieving in Colorado Springs and will continue fighting to disarm hate and save lives.”
“Once again, a joyful night out ended in gunshots in America. We don’t have to live like this, and our loved ones should never die like this,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “Easy access to firearms coupled with bigotry is a deadly combination, as we’ve seen time and again for members of the LGBTQ+ community. As the mother of a non-binary adult child living in Colorado, I am terrified, and along with our volunteers, I’m demanding further action by lawmakers at all levels to address the gun violence epidemic in this country. More must be done to prevent these senseless killings.”
“We are heartbroken for the families and community that are grieving from this horrific and hateful act of violence,” said Clara Taub, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Colorado. “No one should have to fear for their safety, whether they’re out at a club or just living their lives. We can’t accept a reality where tragedies like this are the norm, and we must continue to fight for policies to disarm hate and save lives.”
“LGBTQ+ nightclubs are meant to be safe spaces for members of the community, not sites of mass shootings and hate-fueled gun violence,” said Becky George, Senior Advisor for Movement Building at Everytown for Gun Safety. “As we commemorate Trans Day of Remembrance today, this attack on the LGBTQ+ community is a horrific reminder of the disproportionate impact of gun violence on marginalized communities and the work that must be done to disarm hate in this country.”
Since 2009, the U.S. has had at least 286 mass shootings, defined as four or more people shot and killed, resulting in at least 1,607 people shot and killed and 1,051 people shot and wounded. This includes at least five mass shootings in Colorado, resulting in 37 people shot and killed and 72 people shot and wounded. The reach of each mass shooting stretches far beyond those killed and wounded, harming the well-being of survivors, their families, and entire communities.
Since 2017, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund has tracked homicides of transgender and gender non-conforming people in the U.S. 2021 was the deadliest year on record for trans and gender non-conforming people in the U.S., and Latina and Black transgender women were disproportionately impacted by the violence. And unfortunately, this trend has also played out in 2022. According to Everytown’s recent report on LGBTQ+ bias and guns, gun violence, racism, and violence against the trans and gender non-conforming communities are closely intertwined. Guns are the most frequently used weapon in the murder of trans people. Nearly three-fourths of trans people killed in America during this period were killed with a gun.
In an average year, 850 people are killed by guns in Colorado and 466 more are wounded. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Colorado. Gun violence costs Colorado $11.7 billion each year, of which $156.1 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in Colorado is available here.
