National Gun Violence Awareness Day Rally Planned In DC

WASHINGTON, DC — After the Uvalde, Texas school shooting that killed 19 children and two adults and other mass shootings, the Washington Mystics, the National Building Museum, and Everytown for Gun Safety have joined together to kick off the 8th annual Wear Orange Weekend to recognize those who have been impacted by gun violence in the U.S. and call for an end to gun violence. National Gun Violence Awareness Day falls on the first Friday of June every year.

The Mystics will be hosting a Wear Orange game against New York Liberty on Friday. Players will be showing their support for Wear Orange Weekend by wearing orange orange accessories during the game.

To show their solidarity, fans are encouraged to wear orange to the game and purchase a special orange pullover hoodie. Proceeds from hoodie sales will go to support Everytown for Gun Safety.

A National Gun Violence Awareness Day rally will take place at 12:30 p.m., on Saturday at Oxon Run Park, which is located at 13th Street and Mississippi Avenue, Southeast in Washington, D.C.

Participants are invited to wear orange and convene at the Oxon Run Park Amphitheater (Mother's Peace Garden), where there will be games and crafts for the whole family to enjoy.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been over 200 shootings with multiple people injured or killed so far in 2022, with the most recent being the Uvalde school shooting and Buffalo shooting that killed 10 people. Even before the most recent school shooting reignited the debate about how to address gun violence, Moms Demand Action has been continuing a push for stronger gun laws.

On the federal level, the group is calling on Congress to pass background checks on all gun sales, a federal "red flag" law, regulation of "assault" weapons, and confirm Steve Dettelbach as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.