WHEREAS, Every day, more than 110 Americans are killed by gun violence, alongside more than 200 who are shot and wounded, and on average there are nearly 16,000 gun homicides every year; and

WHEREAS, Americans are 26 times more likely to die by gun homicide than people in other high-income countries; and

WHEREAS, California has 3,160 gun deaths every year, with a rate of 7.8 deaths per 100,000 people. California has the 45th highest rate of gun deaths in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Firearms are now the leading cause of death for children in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Protecting public safety in the communities they serve is among a legislator’s highest responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, Support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns away from people that should not have them; and

WHEREAS, Gun violence prevention is more important than ever as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate gun violence after more than two years of increased gun sales, increased calls to suicide and domestic violence hotlines, and an increase in city gun violence; and

WHEREAS, In January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton was tragically shot and killed at 15 years of age; and on June 2, 2023, to recognize the 26th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton (born: June 2, 1997), people across the United States will recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Day and wear orange in tribute to Hadiya Pendleton, other victims of gun violence, and the loved ones of those victims; 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

WHEREAS, Anyone can join this campaign by pledging to wear orange on June 2nd, the first Friday in June in 2023, to help raise awareness about gun violence; and

WHEREAS, By wearing orange on June 2, 2023, 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, be it