Colorado shooting survivor says LGBTQ bars need security 'that can carry a weapon'
'There’s so much hate out there right now that the gay bars are not safe,' the survivor said on MSNBC Tuesday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Colorado Springs shooting survivor Barrett Hudson claimed Tuesday that LGBTQ bars should hire armed security to prevent tragedies like the one he survived.
Hudson, who was shot seven times by a gunman at Club Q, claimed that having security "that can carry a weapon" would "make all the difference" in these attacks.
Five people were killed and another 25, including Hudson, were injured in the devastating attack over the weekend. The survivor spoke to MSNBC anchor Lindsey Reiser from his hospital bed Tuesday, telling her that security at these places is "thin" and they could benefit from armed guards.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Colorado Springs shooting survivor Barrett Hudson tells MSNBC he believes LGBTQ clubs need armed security. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
Asked for his thoughts on the shooting, he said gay bars are soft targets in this political climate and that patrons need to be protected with weapons. He said he has also encouraged his drag queen friends to carry handguns.
He stated, "I was asked earlier if gay bars are a safe place for the LGBTQ community and if I had to give out any advice to everybody what would I give? There’s so much hate out there right now that the gay bars are not safe."
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Hudson continued, "I told my friends that are drag queens, I was like, ‘You gotta get a gun, you gotta protect yourself. I’m terrified for you to perform." He also mentioned how, even if he was armed during the shooting, he "wouldn’t have had time to react" to the shooting the way it happened.
A police officer exits his car near a crime scene at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 where a shooting occurred late Saturday night. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)
Reiser interjected, saying, "We know that LGBTQ+ bars, clubs have been a safe place for people where they can go in and be themselves whether they’re a member of the community or not, and you feel right now that you don’t have that."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hudson said his unsafe feeling came from gay bars not having better security.
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He stated, "I don’t have that because one thing I’ve noticed — I’ve been around the world, a lot of gay bars, and security is very slim. And I get security — security nowadays, some of them can carry weapons and some of them can’t. I think for the LGBTQ bar, you have got to get a security that can carry a weapon."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added, "I think that would make a world of difference. Not just a security guard but like security guards that can actually be armed."
Flowers and a sign reading "love over hate" lay near a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 where a shooting occurred late Saturday night. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)