JACKSON, Wyo. — National Gun Violence Awareness Day is June 2, kicking off Wear Orange Weekend, which takes place June 2 through June 4.
National Gun Violence Awareness Day is observed annually on the first Friday in June.
Wear Orange Weekend began in June 2015, following the murder of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton in January 2013. Pendleton was shot and killed at a playground in Chicago. Pendleton marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade the week before her death.
Following the shooting, Pendleton’s friends began wearing orange. They chose the color because it’s the same color hunters wear to alert and protect themselves from other hunters.
The Jackson Town Council will recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Day during the June 5 meeting.
According to the Town’s proclamation, 111 Americans are killed by gun violence daily. The gun homicide rate is 25 times higher in the U.S. compared to other developed countries. Annually, 1,839 children and teens die from gun violence in the U.S.
In 2021, Wyoming had the fifth-highest gun-related deaths in the U.S. per capita at a rate of 26.1 per 10,000 people.
According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), as of June 2, there have been 268 mass shootings in the U.S. GVA defines a mass shooting as “four or more shot and/or killed in a single event [incident], at the same general time and location not including the shooter.”
One hundred and fourteen children under the age of 11 have been killed so far in 2023 and 266 have been injured. For teens ages 12-17, gun violence has killed 650 people so far this year and injured another 1,647. Unintentional shootings have accounted for 656 deaths so far this year.
In 2020, firearm deaths became the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S. taking the lives of 4,357 children ages 1-19 years old.
The proclamation states, “we renew our commitment to take the first steps to reduce gun violence and utilize ways that other countries have successfully met this challenge” and “encourage all citizens to support efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence.”
