Will you celebrate “National Gun Violence Awareness Day”? (Photo: Everytown)
June 2, 2015, will be the first annual “National Gun Violence Awareness Day,” according to Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun-control organization funded by billionaire business magnate Michael Bloomberg.
Everytown is asking everyone to “wear orange” to honor the “88 Americans whose lives are cut short by gun violence every day — and the countless survivors whose lives are forever altered by shootings each year.”
The inspiration for the idea came from classmates of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old high school student who was fatally shot in Chicago on Jan. 29 by known gang member, Michael Ward, who targeted a random crowd in Harsh Park after a rival gang killed one of his peers.
Ward told police according to DNAinfo that Pendleton had nothing to do with the gang rivalry, rather “She was just there.”
“If we keep standing for this, we are going to be some straight bitches,” Ward allegedly told police after his arrest.
“It hurt,” he said of his friend who was killed. “It hurt to a point where everyone had to go.”
Given these facts, one would think that the color orange is either meant to send a message to the prison inmates responsible for the vast majority of gun-related violence or a warning that if you take innocent lives, you’ll end up in prison — but no, it was chosen “because hunters wear orange to announce themselves to other hunters when out in the woods.”
Doesn’t make much sense, does it? Why call out hunters who are overwhelmingly safe and responsible? I mean, unless Everytown is worried about deer, turkey, waterfowl and other commonly hunted animals, the idea makes zero sense. Once again, the group is targeting the wrong group of people, i.e. law-abiding citizens. Instead, it should be focusing on inner-city gangs and drug dealers.
Nevertheless, First Lady Michelle Obama will be there to deliver a speech for attendees.
“Our daughter Hadiya was a beautiful girl who was full of laughter and had her whole life ahead of her,” reflected her mother, Cleopatra Pendleton. “Too many Americans are dying every day from senseless acts of gun violence and it has to stop. We don’t want other parents to endure the pain and suffering our family has these past few years. We are honored to know that so many Americans will join us and Wear Orange on June 2nd to celebrate Hadiya’s life and the lives of all those taken by gun violence.”
Other headliners at the event will include actress Julianne Moore, comedian Sarah Silverman and R.E.M frontman Michael Stipe.
More about the importance of wearing orange:
Originating in hunting culture, orange acknowledges that America has a proud heritage of responsible gun ownership. But orange also reflects the value of human life. When hunting in the woods, it’s expected you’ll take aim at a deer or bird – but you’re also obligated to take care with your life and the lives of fellow hunters. By wearing orange on June 2nd, Americans will pledge to:
● Honor the lives – and lost human potential – of Americans stolen by gun violence
● Do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands
● Be responsible gun owners and keep our children safe
So, that’s “National Gun Violence Awareness Day.” What are your thoughts on it? Will you be celebrating it?
How many of those 88 victims per day are criminals shot by police and armed citizens defending themselves?
June 2 is a Friday. On Fridays I wear a red shirt to support the troops. Wear red June 2.
http://redshirtfridays.org/
Google says that on the color wheel the opposite of orange is blue. I think I’ll wear blue to celebrate what I shall call National Gun ‘Safety’ Awareness Day. I abhor violence and steer clear of it. But if it should be needed I will meet violence with violence.
Orange for gun safety, red, green, purple, pink … all for something. Why don\’t we all wear rainbows? Oh, wait! The rainbow is the symbol of the GAY community! We should wear rainbows everyday!
I will not celebrate or market any day that includes “gun violence” in its title. There is no such thing as “gun violence”. Guns are not violent, people are. Please watch out for the left hook…….
Following up on my own post:
Eddy ThompSOL on MAY 18, 2015, at 1:25 PM correctly pointed out attempts to use provocative and incorrect verbage to portray, use, influence, or manipulate your thought processes. Just saw that post. Thanks Eddy.
A lot of the people who are survivors aren’t going to be wearing orange or supporting these anti-gunners, because they used a gun to prevent themselves becoming a violent crime victim. There are many, many times more people who use firearms to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of a violent criminal act, than those who are victims of violent crimes. The difference is staggering.
All one has to do is look at the places with the strictest anti-gun laws … they have the highest violent crime rates in the nation. Places like Washington, DC , Detroit, Chicago, and yes Baltimore! It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the movement to disarm America has ulterior and darker motives. Just look at the political machines and the money behind the gun-control movement. They sure aren’t planning anything good for the people.
It seems to me that Mr. ‘B’ really should hang with more gangs.
There is no such thing as gun violence! It is “criminal violence”! That little sawed off sh*t head is just a control freak with a Napoleon complex!
The problem is that the organization sponsoring this event is a gun-control organization funded by a billionaire business magnate Michael Bloomberg. Anybody with common sense can the gun control laws they are for are actually killing more people, if I am wrong than go ask the people who live in the gun free zones where most of the crazy nuts and gangbangers go to perform the massive shootings like NJ,NY,CA and IL. After that tell me we need gun control rather than criminal and drug control. When I say drug control I am also referring to psychiatric drug control. What the global elite owned main stream media and our lobbied politicians are failing to point the finger at is these mass shooters where chemically dependent on these drugs who recently stopped taking them. So if we really want to sponsor common sense laws to protect the innocent than we should holding the FDA, drug companies, criminal justice system accountable!
However to many stupid people with no reasoning center need Dan Rather and Obama to tell them that.
I and every self respecting Irishman I know refuse to wear anything orange anytime and especially for this bunch of wackos.
I don’t necessarily agree with the part of this article that states they are “calling out” hunters who are responsible. Based on how it’s represented, it actually appears they are acknowledging the fact that orange represents the mature and safe practices of legal and responsible gun owners, and in a way are honoring that practice by wearing orange. I certainly agree with the 2nd Amendment and my right to be a responsibly armed American, so I definitely do not agree with everything, or even very much, of what many of the participating groups are typically about. However, the information they provide about why they chose orange is actually overwhelmingly positive toward responsible gun owners compared to what they normally peg us as. I think honoring the safe practices of responsibly armed people is good.
● Honor the lives – and lost human potential – of Americans stolen by gun violence
● Do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands [**without hindering law abiding citizens’ ability to obtain and keep firearms**]
● Be responsible gun owners and keep our children safe [**after all, that’s why we carry, right?**]
I think these are all things responsible gun owners can agree with. Maybe I’ll wear orange AND a gun.
… or maybe I’ll forego the orange and simply be around to protect the right and lives of others to gather as a group of free people. Yea, that sounds better.
I’ll be wearing brown as a means of telling EGS to eat s**t.
I’m thinking that I’ll ware camo… since they have it out for the hunters anyway. I may as well blend in with “the good folks” (the hunters).
Excuse me? Gun Violence!? Does the whiskey jump out of the bottle!? There is no such thing/event/whatever-the-hell as “Gun Violence”! When I see a bullet roll across a table and load itself into a gun, and then watch as the gun raises itself up and shoots someone, then I’ll believe in “Gun Violence”! Here’s a hint: try “people violence”.
I think June 2, 2015 would be an excellent day for “ISIS Awareness”, a real threat to the free world, and yes – orange would be appropriate.
Ummm…yeah…..how about different color than the average prison jumpsuit?
If everyone wore a gun instead of orange, there would be a lot less gun violence. Who in ther right mind would pull a gun knowing it would be a death sentence from any law abiding citizen carrying……
I wear a gun everyday in awareness of the possibility of gun violence. If these people were really aware, they would too.
This will be confusing in Baltimore since so many people wear orange all summer in solidarity with the Baltimore Orioles. It’ll look like there are far more willing supporters than there actually are. Also, who cares about Bloomberg? How much money has he sunk into gun control efforts and failed?
I will wear orange to the funeral of any convicted criminal who used a firearm in the commitment of a crime! OK?
I hunt, fish, pay, taxes, vote, work for the state rehabilitating juvenil
As long as they don’t object to me carrying a firearm….while wearing orange….I don’t have a problem with them objecting to gun violence…..wearing orange.
Heck, I object to gun violence. No body (no law abiding citizen) wants or seeks gun violence. We pro-2A people don’t want gun violence. We don’t seek to kill people just because we want to be able to protect ourselves. Orange really has nothing to do with anything.
Besides, it just wouldn’t feel right wearing hunter orange and not be carrying a gun……right?