Gun Violence Prevention

Hunters wear orange in the field to prevent being shot, but these people are wearing orange to promote gun violence prevention. National Gun Violence Awareness Day took place on June 1st, with thousands across the country wearing orange for awareness.

In light of the recent school and mass shootings the public is bringing attention to gun violence prevention by wearing orange in solidarity. Nationwide various groups are bringing awareness to this issue, supporting the lives lost to gun violence.

In Florida, the group Moms Demanding Action, were at the Roger Dean stadium to spread awareness and offer support to victims of the Stoneman Douglas school shooting. The Wear Orange Coalition has thousands across the nation wearing orange over the weekend.

This event got the attention of the National Rifle Association, but not in the way most intended. The NRA posted to twitter on Friday saying, “NRA SOCIAL GOING ORANGE: While Everytown for Gun Safety has devoted close to no resources to making citizens safer, the NRA continues to be the world’s leading gun safety organization since 1871.” The group also prompted that supporters post pictures in their orange hunting gear, showing that the NRA is promoting their ideals on gun safety.

The founder of Moms Against Action, Shannon Watts, states that in the March Gallup poll many Americans favor tougher gun laws. “The NRA opposes mandatory gun safety training bills, they oppose background checks on private gun sales … they oppose child access prevention laws,” said Watts, “So what part of that is gun safety?”

Though the NRA claims they are the authority on gun safety, they are showing to be unwilling to reform policies for progressive change in gun safety. Check out the video above for more on the Wear Orange campaign.