WHEREAS, Every day, 130 people in the United States are killed by gun violence, and more than 260 are shot and wounded, with an average of more than 19,000 gun homicides every year; and

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

WHEREAS, California has 3,314 gun deaths every year, with a rate of 8.2 deaths per 100,000 people, a crisis that costs the state 41,900,000,000 each year, of which 1,100,000,000 is paid by taxpayers. California has the 45th highest rate of gun deaths in the United States; and

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

WHEREAS, Support for the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns away from those who are a danger to themselves or others; and

WHEREAS, Gun violence prevention is more important than ever as we see gun violence continue to impact communities across the country and;

WHEREAS, In January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton was tragically shot and killed at 15 years of age; and on June 5, 2026, to recognize the 29th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton, born on June 2, 1997, people across the United States will recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Day and wear orange in tribute to Hadiya Pendleton and other victims of gun violence, and to 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 5, the first Friday in June 2026, to help raise awareness about gun violence; and

WHEREAS, By wearing orange on June 5, 2026, people across the United States 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 hands of people who should not have access to them and encourage responsible gun ownership to help keep our families and communities safe; now, therefore, be it