R 343
2019 -- S 0947
Enacted 06/05/2019

S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N
COMMEMORATING JUNE 7, 2019, AS "NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY" IN RHODE ISLAND

Introduced By: Senators Goldin, Miller, Ruggerio, Lombardi, and Bell
Date Introduced: June 05, 2019

     WHEREAS, Every day, 100 Americans are killed by gun violence and countless others
are wounded; and
     WHEREAS, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed with guns than people in
other high-income countries; 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, June 7 of 2019 would have marked the 22nd birthday of Hadiya Pendleton,
a teenager who marched in President Obama's Second Inaugural Parade and was tragically shot
and killed just weeks later; and
     WHEREAS, To help honor Hadiya, and the 100 Americans whose lives are cut short
daily, and the countless others who are wounded by gun violence every day, June 7, 2019, has
been designated as the 5th annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day; and
     WHEREAS, The idea for this day 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 protect themselves and others, and orange is a color that has been
embraced by the gun safety movement because it symbolizes the value of human life; and
     WHEREAS, By wearing orange and commemorating National Gun Violence Awareness
Day on June 7, 2019, Americans will raise awareness about gun violence, and honor the lives and
lost human potential of Americans stolen by gun violence; now, therefore be it
     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
hereby honors and remembers all victims and survivors of gun violence and declares that we as a
nation must do more to reduce gun violence; and be it further
     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby renews its commitment to reduce gun violence and
pledges to do all it can to help keep firearms out of the wrong hands, to encourage responsible
gun ownership, and to help keep our children safe; and be it further
     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby commemorates June 7, 2019, as "National Gun
Violence Awareness Day" in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further
     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of
the United States, the Honorable Gina M. Raimondo, Governor of the State of Rhode Island, and
to the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation.
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LC002621
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