National Gun Violence Awareness DayPROCLAMATION
VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY
WHEREAS, every day, 96 Americans are killed by gun violence and on average there are nearly 13,000 gun
homicides every year; and
WHEREAS, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed with guns than people in other developed countries; and
WHEREAS, protecting public safety in the communities they serve is the Village Council's highest responsibility; and
WHEREAS, support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping
guns away from dangerous people; and
WHEREAS, Village Council and law enforcement officers know their communities best, are the most familiar
with local criminal activity and how to address it, and are best positioned to understand how to keep their
citizens safe; and
WHEREAS, in January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager who marched in President Obama's second
inaugural parade and was tragically shot and killed just weeks later, should be now celebrating her 21"
birthday; and
WHEREAS, to help honor Hadiya — and the 96 Americans whose lives are cut short and the countless
survivors who are injured by shootings every day — a national coalition of organizations has designated June 1,
2018, the first Friday in June, as the 4`h National Gun Violence Awareness Day; and
WHEREAS, the idea was inspired by a group of Hadiya's friends, who asked their classmates to commemorate
her life by wearing orange; they chose this color because hunters wear orange to announce themselves to other
hunters when out in the woods and orange is a color that symbolizes the value of human life; and
WHEREAS, anyone can join this campaign by pledging to wear orange on June I" to help raise awareness
about gun violence.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, David B. Norris, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the Village of
North Palm Beach, do hereby proclaim Friday June 1, 2018 as
NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY
in the Village of North Palm Beach, Florida. Further, all citizens are encouraged to support their local
communities' efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and to honor and value human lives.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my
Beach to be affixed this 24th day of May, 2018.
of North Palm