The Family Research Council is a conservative Christian lobbying organization that deals in issues of social policy and is best known for its opposition to abortion, homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
On its website, the council calls itself the "leading voice for the family."
"In our nation's halls of power and beyond, FRC continues to expand its Judeo-Christian mission," according to the website. The group describes its mission as the "promotion of marriage, family, religious liberty and the sanctity of life."
The Washington Examiner on Wednesday reported that the FRC planned to press the Republican National Committee to keep wording endorsing traditional marriage in the convention platform when negotiations begin this weekend.
The council, established nearly 30 years ago, gets a lot of attention every fall when its political action committee, FRC Action, hosts an annual confab of social conservatives in D.C. called the Values Voter Summit. The three-day gathering attracts Republican presidential hopefuls and other party leaders to discuss issues important to social conservatives.
But just Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay lobby, dubbed FRC a "hate group" and decried plans by Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to speak at next month's event.
Activist and religious groups took to Twitter to express concern over the incident and thoughts for the victim. The Human Rights Campaign tweeted shortly after the shooting that "violence should never be used to express a viewpoint, no matter what it is."