THE FOLLOWING RELEASE IS FROM CONGRESSWOMAN ROBIN KELLY’S OFFICE
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) and U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced the Wear Orange Resolution, designating June 5 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day and the entire month as National Gun Violence Awareness Month.
The Resolution honors Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed in a Chicago park on Jan. 29, 2013, just one week after she performed as a drum majorette in President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. Her family and friends started the Wear Orange movement to raise awareness of the 46,000 people who die due to gun violence every year in the U.S. Hunters often wear orange to avoid being shot.
“I ran for office because I was sick and tired of watching Congress do nothing as children were killed by gun violence. Hadiya should’ve been safe at a park, but she was shot just months before I was sworn into office for the first time,” said Rep. Kelly. “Since Hadiya’s family and friends started Wear Orange, the color has become a beacon for action and advocacy. I’ve worked alongside her parents and other survivors to save lives from gun violence because the people closest to the pain are also closest to the solutions to end this crisis once and for all.”
Rep. Kelly spoke on the House floor this morning to introduce the Wear Orange Resolution and about her gun safety legislation.
“Guns are now the number one killer of our nation’s children. With one in five Americans having lost a loved one to gun violence, this is nothing short of an epidemic,” Durbin said. “Today, we are introducing this resolution in memory of Hadiya Pendleton, who was only 15 years old when she was senselessly shot and killed in Chicago. On what would have been—should have been—her 29th birthday, I will proudly ‘Wear Orange’ as a sign of my dedication to finally putting an end to this public health crisis.”
“I refuse to let our children grow up in a country that refuses to protect them from gun violence,” said Duckworth. “To honor Hadiya Pendleton and too many other victims of gun violence, Congress must take action to help keep our children and our communities safe. I’ll never stop working for commonsense gun safety reforms that can save lives and help prevent future tragedies—American families depend on it.”
Rep. Kelly has introduced the Wear Orange Resolution every year after June 2, 2015, on what would have been Pendleton’s 18th birthday. June marks Gun Violence Awareness Month as gun violence spikes at the start of summer.
The Wear Orange Resolution has 79 cosponsors. Read the full text here.
