A resolution expressing support for the designation of June 4, 2021, as "National Gun Violence Awareness Day" and June 2021 as "National Gun Violence Awareness Month".

III 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 242 Expressing support for the designation of June 4, 2021, as ‘‘National Gun Violence Awareness Day’’ and June 2021 as ‘‘National Gun Violence Awareness Month’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 26, 2021 Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Ms. KLO- BUCHAR, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. CARPER, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. SMITH, Mr. CASEY, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mrs. MURRAY) submitted the following reso- lution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Expressing support for the designation of June 4, 2021, as ‘‘National Gun Violence Awareness Day’’ and June 2021 as ‘‘National Gun Violence Awareness Month’’. Whereas, each year in the United States, more than— (1) 38,500 individuals are killed and 85,000 individ- uals are wounded by gunfire; (2) 14,000 individuals are killed in homicides involv- ing guns; (3) 23,000 individuals die by suicide using a gun; and (4) 480 individuals are killed in unintentional shoot- ings; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:32 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR242.IS SR242 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 242 IS Whereas, since 1968, more individuals have died from guns in the United States than have died on the battlefields of all the wars in the history of the United States; Whereas 2020 was one of the deadliest years on record for the United States, with an estimated 19,300 individuals killed in gun homicides or nonsuicide-related shootings, a 25-percent increase over 2019; Whereas unintentional shooting deaths by children increased by nearly 1⁄3, comparing incidents in March to December of 2020 to the same months in 2019; Whereas, by 1 count, in 2020 in the United States, there were 610 mass shooting incidents in which at least 4 in- dividuals were killed or wounded by gunfire; Whereas, every year in the United States, more than 3,000 children and teens are killed by gun violence and 15,000 children and teens are shot and wounded; Whereas approximately 8,800 individuals in the United States under the age of 25 die because of gun violence annually, including Hadiya Pendleton, who, in 2013, was killed at 15 years of age in Chicago, Illinois, while stand- ing in a park; Whereas, on June 4, 2021, to recognize the 24th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton (born June 2, 1997), individuals across the United States will recognize National Gun Vio- lence Awareness Day and wear orange in tribute to— (1) Hadiya Pendleton and other victims of gun vio- lence; and (2) the loved ones of those victims; and Whereas June 2021 is an appropriate month to designate as ‘‘National Gun Violence Awareness Month’’: Now, there- fore, be it VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:32 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR242.IS SR242 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 242 IS Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) supports— 2 (A) the designation of ‘‘National Gun Vio- 3 lence Awareness Month’’ and the goals and 4 ideals of that month; and 5 (B) the designation of ‘‘National Gun Vio- 6 lence Awareness Day’’, in remembrance of the 7 victims of gun violence; and 8 (2) calls on the people of the United States 9 to— 10 (A) promote greater awareness of gun vio- 11 lence and gun safety; 12 (B) wear orange, the color that hunters 13 wear to show that they are not targets, on ‘‘Na- 14 tional Gun Violence Awareness Day’’; 15 (C) concentrate heightened attention on 16 gun violence during the summer months, when 17 gun violence typically increases; and 18 (D) bring community members and leaders 19 together to discuss ways to make communities 20 safer. 21 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:32 May 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR242.IS SR242 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS