Gun violence is an epidemic in the United States, with 88 people killed by gun violence every day. There are countless common sense strategies to help end this epidemic, but the NRA has a chokehold on Congress, as well as many state legislatures, so change won’t come without a fight.
One powerful way to join the fight is to help make clear to lawmakers and the media that a majority of Americans want an end to gun violence.
That’s why CREDO has joined forces with our friends at Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown for Gun Safety to participate in the first National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 2. Next Tuesday, people who believe we must do more to end gun violence in our country will wear orange to be seen and heard in every community across America.
Hunters wear orange for gun safety, as a way to protect their own lives and the lives of others. It’s a symbol for the value of human life. Wearing orange next Tuesday is a visual affirmation of the right of every American to live a life free from gun violence.
Wear Orange and National Gun Violence Prevention Day were inspired by teens who asked their classmates to commemorate the life of a slain friend — Hadiya Pendleton — by wearing orange. Hadiya marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade in 2013 and was shot and killed a week later in a park near her home in Chicago. June 2 would have been Hadiya’s 18th birthday.
Gun violence touches every corner of America — in fact, just last weekend 33 people were shot in Chicago alone. We don’t have to live in a country where shootings happen every day. If we all stand up together and demand change, we will succeed.
Thank you for being part of this movement.