Wear Orange to End Gun Crisis

On Friday, June 5, Americans will wear orange to honor the lives of people affected by gun violence. Every day, more than one hundred people are shot and killed and hundreds more are wounded by guns. The Wear Orange campaign (Wearorange.org) recognizes National Gun Violence Awareness Day, the first Friday in June, by bringing communities together to raise their voices and demand an end to this crisis.

Why orange? Orange is the color that Hadiya Pendleton’s friends wore in her honor after the fifteen-year-old was shot and killed in a Chicago park in 2013. Grieving her death, her community was determined to raise awareness about gun violence. They chose to wear orange because it was Hadiya’s favorite color and is also the color that hunters wear for protection.

We are fortunate that leaders in our community recognize the urgency of preventing gun violence. Redmond Mayor Angela Birney will honor gun violence victims and survivors through a proclamation supporting Wear Orange, to be read at the June 2 Redmond City Council meeting.

The coronavirus will not stop the movement to end gun violence, but unfortunately it is exacerbating the gun violence crisis by increasing the risk of domestic violence, unintentional shootings, and gun suicide. Just as the coronavirus is disproportionately affecting people of color, so does gun violence. To keep families safe, we need to address both our health and gun crises.

Let’s join Mayor Birney and thousands of Americans by wearing orange on June 5, to honor those impacted by gun violence and to demand safer communities for all.

Kathleen ReynoldsVolunteer with Redmond/Woodinville/Kirkland Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense