HR0349 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0349 LRB103 32790 MST 62594 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Every day, more than 120 Americans are killed by gun violence, and more than 200 are shot and wounded, with an average of more than 17,000 gun homicides every year; and

WHEREAS, Americans are 26 times more likely to die by gun homicide than people in other high-income countries; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has 1,622 gun deaths every year, with a rate of 12.9 deaths per 100,000 people; this crisis costs the state $18.6 billion each year, of which $625.5 million is paid by taxpayers; Illinois has the 35th highest rate of gun deaths in the U.S.; and

WHEREAS, Protecting public safety in the communities they serve is among a legislator's highest responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, Support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns away from people that should not have them; and

WHEREAS, Gun violence prevention is more important than ever as there has been an increase in firearm homicides and nonfatal shootings across the country, an increase in calls to domestic violence hotlines, and an increase in city gun violence; and

WHEREAS, In January of 2013, Hadiya Pendleton was tragically shot and killed at the age of 15; to acknowledge her 26th birthday, people across the United States will recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 2, 2023 and wear orange in tribute to Hadiya Pendleton and other victims of gun violence as well as the loved ones of those victims; and

WHEREAS, The idea was inspired by a group of Hadiya Pendleton'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 because 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 2nd, the first Friday in June of 2023, to help raise awareness about gun violence; and

WHEREAS, By wearing orange on June 2, 2023, Americans will raise awareness about gun violence and honor the lives of gun violence victims and survivors; and

WHEREAS, To help keep families sand communities safe, it is of the utmost importance to make a commitment to reduce gun violence, to pledge to do all that is possible to keep firearms out of the hands of people who should not have access to them, and to encourage responsible gun ownership; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare June 2, 2023 as "Gun Violence Awareness Day" in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage all citizens to support their communities' efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and to honor and value human lives.