Agenda Item - 2024-06-04 - Number 4.1 - Proclamation - Gun Violence Awareness 4.1
Proclamation
National Gun Violence
OREGO�
Awareness Day
This proclamation declares the first Friday in June to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day
in the City of Lake Oswego to honor and remember all victims and survivors of gun violence and
to declare that we as a country must do more to end this public health crisis.
WHEREAS, every day, more than 120 Americans are killed by gun violence and more than 200
are shot and wounded, with an average of more than 18,000 gun homicides every year; and
WHEREAS, Americans are 26 times more likely to die by gun homicide than people in other
high-income countries; and
WHEREAS, Oregon has 587 gun deaths every year, with a rate of 13 deaths per 100,000 people,
a crisis that costs the state $8.1 billion each year, of which $89.1 million is paid by taxpayers.
Oregon has the 34th highest rate of gun deaths in the US; and
WHEREAS, gun homicides and assaults are concentrated in cities, with more than half of all
firearm related gun deaths in the nation occurring in 127 cities; and
WHEREAS, cities across the nation, including in Lake Oswego, are working to end the senseless
violence with evidence-based solutions; and
WHEREAS, protecting public safety in the communities they serve is a mayors' highest
responsibility; and
WHEREAS, support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand
with keeping guns away from people with dangerous histories; and
WHEREAS, mayors and law enforcement officers —in partnership with local violence
intervention activists and resources —know their communities best, are the most familiar with
local criminal activity and how to address it, and are best positioned to understand how to keep
their residents safe; and
WHEREAS, gun violence prevention is more important than ever as we see an increase in
firearm homicides, and nonfatal shootings across the country, increased calls to domestic
violence hotlines, and an increase in city gun violence;
4.1
WHEREAS, in January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton was tragically shot and killed at age 15; and on
June 7, 2024 to recognize the 27th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton (born: June 2, 1997), people
across the United States will recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Day and wear orange
in tribute to
(1) Hadiya Pendleton and other victims of gun violence; and
(2) the loved ones of those victims; and
WHEREAS, the idea was inspired by a group of Hadiya's friends, who asked their classmates to
commemorate her life by wearing orange; they chose this color because hunters wear orange
to announce themselves to other hunters when out in the woods, and orange is a color that
symbolizes the value of human life; and
WHEREAS, anyone can join this campaign by pledging to wear orange on June 7th, the first
Friday in June in 2024, to help raise awareness about gun violence; and
WHEREAS, by wearing orange on June 7, 2024 Americans will raise awareness about gun
violence and honor the lives of gun violence victims and survivors; and
WHEREAS, we renew our commitment to reduce gun violence and pledge to do all we can to
keep firearms out of the hands of people who should not have access to them, and encourage
responsible gun ownership to help keep our families and communities safe.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Mayor Joseph M. Buck, of the City of Lake Oswego
declare the first Friday in June, June 7, 2024, to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day. I
encourage all residents to support their local communities' efforts to prevent the tragic effects
of gun violence and to honor and value human lives.
Joseph M. Buck, Mayor
June 4, 2024