HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-05-19 ProclamationItem Number: 2.a.
CITY OIF IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
May 19, 2020
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
National Gun Violence Awareness Day proclamation
City of Iowa City
PROCLAMATION
Whereas, every day, more than 100 Americans are killed by gun violence and on average there are more than
13,000 -gun homicides every year; and
Whereas, Iowa has 270 -gun deaths every year, with a rate of 8.4 deaths per 100,000 people; 214 (79.1%) of
those gun deaths are firearm suicides; and
Whereas, support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping
guns away from people who shouldn't have them;
Whereas, the pandemic facing America has drastically impacted communities and individuals sheltering in
place, which may result in situations where access to firearms results in increased risk in intimate partner
violence gun deaths, suicide by gun and unintentional shootings; and
Whereas, in January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager who marched in the presidential inaugural parade
and was tragically shot and killed just weeks later, should now be celebrating her 23d birthday; and
Whereas, to help honor Hadiya—and the more than 100 Americans whose lives are cut short every day, and
the countless survivors who are injured by shootings every day—a national coalition of organizations has
designated June 5, 2020, the fast Friday in June, as the 6d' National Gun Violence Awareness Day; 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 5d', the first Friday in June in
2020, to help raise awareness about gun violence; and
Whereas, we renew our commitment to reduce gun violence and pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out
of the wrong hands and encourage responsible gun ownership to help keep our children safe.
Now, therefore, I, Bruce Teague, Mayor of Iowa City, do hereby proclaim the first Friday in June, June 5,
2020 to be
National Gun Violence Awareness Day
and encourage all citizens to support their communities' efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and
to honor and value human lives.
Bruce Teague, Mayor
Ad I kf, Signed in Iowa City, Iowa,
this 19th day of May 2020.