Title
Special recognition of June 2021 as National Gun Violence Awareness Month.
Body
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, on average, there are nearly 13,400 people killed by gun homicide every year in the United States; and
WHEREAS, in 2020, there were over 600 mass shooting events in the United States which resulted in over 500 deaths and over 2,500 injuries; and
WHEREAS, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed with guns than people living in other high-income countries; and
WHEREAS, public safety is one of the County Board's highest responsibilities to the communities it serves; and
WHEREAS, community leaders and law enforcement officers are the
most familiar with local criminal activity, what is needed to address it, and are best positioned to understand how to keep citizens safe; and
WHEREAS, in January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager, was tragically murdered in Chicago, two weeks after she marched in the second Presidential inaugural parade of President Barack Obama; and
WHEREAS; in honor of Hadiya, the hundreds of Americans whose lives are being inexplicably cut short, and countless survivors injured by shootings - a national coalition of organizations designated the first Friday in June as National Gun Violence Awareness Day; and
WHEREAS, the idea of National Gun Violence Awareness Day was inspired by a group of Hadiya's friends who asked classmates to commemorate her memory by wearing orange, a color symbolizing the value of human life and used by hunters to announce themselves to others when out in the woods; and
WHEREAS, Lake County is committed to encouraging gun safety and responsibility for lawful gun owners, and to the reduction of gun violence in Lake County to keep our children and community safe.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RECOGNIZED, that the Lake County Board acknowledges June 2021 as Gun Violence Awareness Month and encourages residents to commemorate this month in honor and remembrance of the victims and survivors of gun violenc...
Click here for full text