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HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Every day, more than 100 Americans are killed by
3gun violence, and 230 are shot and wounded; on average, there
4are more than 13,000 gun homicides every year; and
5 WHEREAS, Americans are 25 times more likely to die by gun
6homicide than people in other high-income countries; and
7 WHEREAS, Illinois has 1,400 gun deaths every year, with a
8rate of 11 deaths per 100,000 people; Illinois has the 36th
9highest rate of gun deaths in the U.S.; and
10 WHEREAS, Protecting public safety in the communities they
11serve is among a legislator's highest responsibilities; and
12 WHEREAS, Support for the Second Amendment rights of
13law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns away
14from people that shouldn't have them; and
15 WHEREAS, Gun violence prevention is more important than
16ever as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate gun
17violence after more than a year of increased gun sales, of
18increased calls to suicide and domestic violence hotlines, and
19an increase in city gun violence; and

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1 WHEREAS, In January of 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, born June
22, 1997, was tragically shot and killed at age 15; on June 4,
32021, to recognize the 24th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton,
4people across the United States will recognize National Gun
5Violence Awareness Day and wear orange in tribute to Hadiya
6Pendleton, other victims of gun violence, and the loved ones
7of those victims; and
8 WHEREAS, The idea was inspired by a group of Hadiya's
9friends who asked their classmates to commemorate her life by
10wearing orange; they chose this color because hunters wear
11orange to announce themselves to other hunters when out in the
12woods, and orange is a color that symbolizes the value of human
13life; and
14 WHEREAS, Anyone can join this campaign by pledging to wear
15orange on June 4th, the first Friday in June of 2021, to help
16raise awareness about gun violence; and
17 WHEREAS, By wearing orange on June 4, 2021, Americans will
18raise awareness about gun violence and honor the lives of gun
19violence victims and survivors; therefore, be it
20 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
21HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
22we declare June 4, 2021 to be Gun Violence Awareness Day in the

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1State of Illinois and encourage all citizens to support their
2communities' efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun
3violence and to honor and value human lives; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That we renew our commitment to reduce gun
5violence, pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out of the
6wrong hands, and encourage responsible gun ownership to help
7keep our children safe.