Greenwich Observes National Gun Violence Awareness Day

GREENWICH, CT — Nearly 100 people gathered in front of Greenwich Town Hall on Thursday afternoon as First Selectman Fred Camillo proclaimed June 2 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in town.

Residents and several elected officials at Thursday's proclamation reading were clad in orange to symbolize the value of human life.

On Jan. 21, 2013, 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton marched in President Barack Obama’s second inaugural parade. A week later, Pendleton was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago.

Pendleton's friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. The "Wear Orange" movement is now observed every June.

The event at town hall held extra significance because of the recent shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., Uvalde, Texas, and Tulsa, Okla.

Camillo, a Republican, said the issue of gun violence isn't a partisan issue.

"It's not a Republican, or a Democratic, or an Independent issue. It's an American issue. It's a human issue," he said to applause from the crowd.

Camillo said when he was a state representative, he often sat in the Connecticut State Capitol building and wondered what legislators would do if there was an active shooter nearby.

"Likewise, I do the same thing in the building behind us. No one should have to go to work or go to school worrying about that," Camillo said.

There are a number of ideas that most Americans can agree on when it comes to gun control, Camillo said, like more thorough background checks, a focus on mental health and building security.

"That won't get us to a 100 percent, foolproof position, but it will certainly get us close," he added. "I would ask our leaders in Washington to get to work and get something done there so at least it moves the ball down the field."

In the proclamation, Camillo said there were 238 gun deaths in Connecticut in 2021.

"The town of Greenwich and its leadership is committed to protecting the rights of its citizens while remembering the lives lost from senseless violence," Camillo said in his proclamation.

Across the country, according to the Washington Post, there have been over 200 mass shootings so far in 2022. A mass shooting is one or more connected shootings in which four or more people have been shot, not including the shooter.

Following the recent shootings in New York, Texas and Oklahoma, there has been an increased demand for change.

Alexis Gevanter, a Greenwich resident and the former Connecticut leader for the group Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America, said that while Connecticut has made strides in recent years on gun control, it's time for action on a national level.

"The activation we're seeing on the ground, the amount of people who were not involved in the movement before that have reached out to me in the past week-and-a-half since Uvalde has been absolutely staggering, and really inspiring," Gevanter said. "This isn't unique to Greenwich. It's happening around the country, and we are very lucky to have incredible leadership within Connecticut and Congress, but I think we're going to be able to make strides nationally and get something done."

Gevanter called gun violence "an absolutely preventable tragedy."

"Whatever we can get done to move in the right direction is significant and critical," she added. Gevanter is now helping Moms Demand Action revive in-person work in Greenwich following the COVID-19 pandemic. She said there will be a local group meeting for new volunteers in the next couple weeks. Anyone interested in volunteering can reach out to her.

Jonathan Perloe, a Greenwich resident and Representative Town Meeting member, and director of programs and communications for CT Against Gun Violence, said Thursday he wants to be "cautiously optimistic" that movement on gun reform can finally happen.

"People felt exactly the same way after Sandy Hook and it's 10 years later. But I will say, in those 10 years, even though it doesn't seem like anything has happened, and unfortunately the number of gun deaths has gone up, things have happened," Perloe said. "Whenever I see people get energized, I'm optimistic but it has to be more than showing up to vigils."

Perloe said if anyone wants to get involved, to go the CGAV website and subscribe to their email list.

Perloe praised Greenwich for being so involved over the years.

"Greenwich really has approached this as a nonpartisan issue," he said.