Mayor Kim Driscoll Declares June 2nd Gun Violence Awareness Day in Salem
Mayor Kim Driscoll has declared June 2 to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the City of Salem to honor and remember all victims and survivors of gun violence and to declare that more must be done to reduce gun violence across the nation. The proclamation encourages Salem residents to support efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and to honor and value human lives.
“As a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an organization of over 1,000 Mayors from around the United States, I believe it past time for Congressional leaders to take action on this growing crisis,” said Mayor Driscoll. “No community is immune from gun violence. As long as the proliferation of illegal guns continues unchecked and unregulated, there can be no end to this national problem. For the sake of our neighborhoods and our children, I encourage Congress to do the right thing and act.”
“Mayors across the U.S. fight to keep their communities safe every day – so it’s no surprise they’re stepping up once again for National Gun Violence Awareness Day,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety and board member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. “We’re grateful to all the mayors who’ve declared they’ll Wear Orange on June 2nd, and we look forward to even more Americans sharing the message of gun safety and responsibility along with us.”
More than 100 mayors in 31 states will join the over 300 influencers, corporations, partner organizations, and a series of iconic landmarks across the country that will participate in the second annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 2. Additionally, there will be more than 150 Orange meet-ups that are set to take place in communities nationwide. All events are searchable via an online map (available here) and easy to track on June 2 by following the #WearOrange hashtag. Full details on Wear Orange 2016 available here.
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About Wear Orange
In 2013, a small group of teens at a South Side Chicago high school asked their classmates to honor the life of their murdered friend Hadiya Pendleton by wearing orange – the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others and a color that reflects the value of human life. They inspired the Wear Orange campaign (wearorange.org), a coalition of more than 200 non-profits, cultural influencers and elected officials working to reduce gun violence in America. Spearheaded by Everytown for Gun Safety, the campaign asks Americans who believe we can do more to save lives from gun violence to do one simple thing on June 2, National Gun Violence Awareness Day: Wear Orange. Those who wear orange pledge to honor the lives of Americans stolen by gun violence, to help keep firearms out of dangerous hands and to protect our children from gun violence. Wear Orange has already reached more than 220 million people worldwide and is fast becoming the symbol of the gun violence prevention movement.