WHEREAS, each year, tens of thousands of people in the United States are killed or injured by gunfire, including homicides involving firearms, suicides by firearm, and accidental shootings; and
WHEREAS, since 1968, more Americans have died from gun-related incidents in the United States than have died on the battlefields of all the wars in United States history; and
WHEREAS, by one count, in 2017 there were 346 mass shooting incidents in the United States in which four or more people were killed or wounded by gunfire, including dozens of incidents in which a gun was fired in a school; and
WHEREAS, gun violence typically increases during the summer months, but on average, one person in the United States under the age of 25 dies as a result of gun violence every 70 minutes, or more than 6,300 such people annually; and
WHEREAS, in 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old high school student, was killed while standing in a Chicago park, inspiring the Wear Orange for Gun Safety campaign, in which hundreds of people throughout the United States wear orange clothes and participate in Orange Meet-Ups to make their voices heard and stand in solidarity with people who have been affected by gun violence and their families; and
WHEREAS, the organizers of the Wear Orange campaign chose the color orange—the same color commonly worn by hunters in the woods for safety—as a way to increase visibility and draw attention to the organization's mission; and
WHEREAS, the Wear Orange campaign has earned support from prominent elected officials at all levels of government, celebrities, youth and professional sports teams, and more than 150 corporate and nonprofit partner organizations, and landmarks throughout the country have been painted or lit orange in honor of the campaign; and
WHEREAS, the Wear Orange campaign is a diverse movement, bringing together people from many walks of life to find common cause in keeping their communities safe by reducing gun violence; and
WHEREAS, all Virginians are encouraged to observe Gun Violence Awareness Day by wearing orange, offering support to those affected by gun violence and their families, promoting greater awareness of gun safety, and discussing ways to make Virginia communities safer; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate June 1, in 2020 and in each succeeding year, as Gun Violence Awareness Day in Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Wear Orange for Gun Safety campaign so that members of the organization may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter; and, be it
RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this day on the General Assembly's website.