TODAY is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and MomsRising is joining the gun safety community in #WearingOrange to remember the countless lives lost and communities devastated by gun violence. Why orange? Because it’s the color of safety — what hunters wear to protect themselves from other shooters.
Even though TODAY is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, yesterday, there was a high-profile shooting at UCLA. And every day, 36 people on average are killed by guns. The fact is, Americans are constantly aware of gun violence, or the risk of gun violence not just today, but every day.
Constant awareness of gun violence should not be our daily reality.
It's time! On National Gun Violence Awareness Day, tell Congress to do something about it by making the reduction of gun violence a top priority, starting with advancing background checks for gun purchases.
*Sign here: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/GVAwarenessEveryDay2016/
This is a big deal. Gun violence is pervasive, regularly reaching deep down into our communities and families, with tens of thousands of gun-related tragedies hidden away in local newspapers, community crime blotters, or are never reported on at all.
In America, gun injuries send more than 20,000 children to emergency rooms every year, and someone is shot by a toddler once a week on average. One in five people personally knows victims of gun violence, and more than 40% worry about becoming victims of gun violence.
In America, every day feels like gun violence awareness day, but the threat of gun violence should not be a nonstop, ongoing worry for families and communities
Background checks are an important first step. On National Gun Violence Awareness Day, please #WearOrange and help us continue the fight for wholesale gun safety reform that addresses all kinds of gun violence, including school shootings.
Together, we are a strong voice for safer families and communities.
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