National Gun Violence Awareness Day

WHEREAS, on average, 96 Americans are killed by gun violence everyday leading to nearly 13,000 gun homicides every year; and

WHEREAS, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed with guns than people in other developed countries; and

WHEREAS, support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns away from dangerous people; and

WHEREAS, local public officials and law enforcement officers know their communities best, are the most familiar with local criminal activity and how to address it, and are best positioned to understand how to keep their citizens safe; and

WHEREAS, in January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager who performed during President Obama’s second inaugural parade and was tragically shot and killed just one week later, would now be celebrating her 21st birthday, and in Hadiya’s honor and in honor of the 96 Americans whose lives are cut short and the countless survivors who are injured by shootings every day – a national coalition of organizations has designated the first Friday in June as Gun Violence Awareness Day; and

WHEREAS, the idea was inspired by a group of Hadiya’s friends, who asked their classmates to commemorate her life by wearing orange; they chose this color because hunters wear orange to announce themselves to other hunters when out in the woods and orange is a color that symbolizes the value of human life, and by wearing orange on June 1, 2018 Americans will raise awareness about gun violence and honor the lives of gun violence victims and survivors; and

 WHEREAS, we renew our commitment to reduce gun violence and pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands, and encourage responsible gun ownership to help keep our children safe;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Katie Cristol, Chair of the County Board of Arlington, Virginia, do hereby proclaim June 1, 2018, to be

NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY

in Arlington and I encourage all residents to support their community’s efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and to honor and value human lives.