What's On Our Mind ...
On January 21, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old high school student from Chicago, marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. One week later, Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago.
Soon after, Hadiya’s friends decided to commemorate her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others.
Her friends turned this into a yearly national day of action — Wear Orange Day — on the first Friday of June, which is today.
No other country in the world has this type of gun violence. Fifty-eight percent of American adults have experienced gun violence in their lifetime. Approximately three million American children witness gun violence every year1.
With pandemic restrictions easing, mass shootings and gun violence have increased. There have been 242 mass shootings so far in 20212.
The prevalence of guns in our communities has also contributed to this deadly problem. We are seeing record gun sales. During the pandemic, people who already had guns bought more, and people who never owned one bought them, too.
The
recent Florida shootout between police and
12-year-old and 14-year-old, who were armed, further underscores the desperate situation we face.
There are solutions that would significantly save lives such as requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and bump stocks, and temporarily restricting access to guns for individuals who are at risk of harming themselves or others.
President Joe Biden is committed to ending gun violence but he needs Congress to support those efforts. Help JAC elect candidates who will work side-by-side with the President to get the job done.
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