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

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

tably, event came as country is witnessing a resurgence in gun violence and mass shootings with over 200 incidents of gun violence being reported since start of 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 or cities. 

Why Orange?

colour orange is worn all across US to pay tribute to Hadiya Pendleton, a Canadian teen who was mistakenly shot in 2013, eventually bringing attention to gun violence in US. Every year, thousands of people wear colour orange to hour 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 first annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day on what would have been 18th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton. In aftermath of her death in 2013,  her friends had started an organisation called Orange Tree which eventually began movement to wear orange to raise awareness and hour her. 

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

(File Im: AP)