US: White House lit up in orange to mark National Gun Violence Awareness Day

As the United States marked National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 3, officials lit up the White House in orange. The light was shone on the front facade of the White House from sunset on Friday till 1:30 am (Eastern Time). In addition to the presidential palace, other government buildings including California's Capital Dome and City Hall along with New York’s City Hall will also be bathed in orange light.

Notably, the event came as the country is witnessing a resurgence in gun violence and mass shootings with over 200 incidents of gun violence being reported since the start of the year, according to Gun Violence Archive. Recently, an 18-year-old teen killed over 19 children and 2 adults in a shooting spree at an elementary school in Texas. Subsequent shootings were reported in Buffalo, Tulsa and other cities. 

Why Orange?

The colour orange is worn all across the US to pay tribute to Hadiya Pendleton, a Canadian teen who was mistakenly shot in 2013, eventually bringing attention to gun violence in the US. Every year, thousands of people wear the colour orange to honour Hadiya Pendleton and "more than 40,000 people who are killed with guns and approximately 85,000 who are shot and wounded every year," as per an organisation called 'Wear Orange'.

What is Gun Violence Awareness Day?

In June 2015, Americans marked the first annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day on what would have been the 18th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton. In the aftermath of her death in 2013,  her friends had started an organisation called Orange Tree which eventually began the movement to wear orange to raise awareness and honour her. 

Last Thursday, US President Joe Biden pleaded with the lawmakers of his country to take action on gun violence plaguing the country. Speaking after a flurry of mass shootings appeared to plague the United States, Biden called for a ban on assault weapons such as the ones used in recent massacres in Texas and New York state. The US President's latest appeal for restrictions on firearms came in the form of a 17-minute-long address with 56 lighted candles arrayed along a long corridor behind him to represent the states and territories suffering from gun violence.  

(File Image: AP)