June is both National Gun Violence Awareness and Gay Pride month. One way the two are connected is the amount of gun violence inflicted on the LGBQT community.

On a per capita basis, LGBQT+ individuals are targeted for violent hate crimes at a higher rate than other minorities. Research indicates that LGBQT+ people are roughly nine times more likely to be victims of hate crimes than non-LGBQT+ individuals. According to the Trevor Project, 40% of LGBQT+ youth reported having a firearm in their home, and the odds of committing suicide were about 17% higher than those who did not have access to a gun.

Of course, gun violence is not limited to the LGBQT+ community. As of June 2026, the Gun Violence Archive reported over 200 mass shootings this year. Over 200 communities that will never be the same, communities that will always remember “that day.” Much of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, signed into law by President Biden in June 2023, has been weakened by President Trump who rescinded over $1.8 billion in funding and eliminated key safety enforcement policies, including cutbacks to school mental health and community violence prevention programs.

Our nation continues to face preventable gun violence, and yet lawmakers on a federal and state levels block common sense gun laws by showing deference to gun lobbies. No one in the United States should have to fear for their lives due to gun violence and no community should have to grieve again and again.

Helen Mirenda

Altoona