Little Big Town Support Tim McGraw’s Sandy Hook Benefit

Little Big Town aren't exactly the most controversial act in country music, but the members of the 2015 ACM Vocal Group of the Year are not shying away from a firestorm that's raging around Tim McGraw.

McGraw drew the ire of gun rights activists after he announced he would perform at a benefit for the non-profit group Sandy Hook Promise, which was founded by family members who lost loved ones in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. According to its website, the group’s mission is to “protect children from gun violence so no other parent experiences the loss of their child by engaging and empowering parents and communities with targeted prevention programs in the areas of mental wellness early-identification and intervention, social and emotional development and firearm safety and security.”

The story went viral online after conservative website Breitbart.com wrote an article falsely calling it a "gun control fundraiser."

"We love you, Tim," LBT singer Karen Fairchild tells Rolling Stone Country. "You do the right thing, and that's what you're doing because it's about a child and about a family. I just wish people would put the agenda and the hate down."

The criticism has been so intense that fellow headliner Billy Currington announced he would pull out of the performance last week, saying, “I’ve never been one to take on controversial issues … I do feel strongly about honoring and supporting the Sandy Hook community and will be making a donation to a local organization.”

Currington said he did not know the date — which was originally scheduled as part of McGraw's Shotgun Rider tour, on which Currington and Chase Bryant will appear as support acts — had been turned into a benefit until he heard about the controversy. Bryant has confirmed he will go forward with the performance.

"It is depressing that people have that much time and energy to invest, when they could be doing better things, like educating their child and loving people in the world instead of attacking someone who's trying to do something good, like Tim McGraw," Little Big Town's Phillip Sweet reflects. "Why would you want to attack that?"

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