NEWTOWN TO TURN ORANGE ON NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY
For Immediate Release
May 31, 2017
MEDIA ADVISORY
NEWTOWN TO TURN ORANGE ON NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY
#WearOrange MARCH AND RALLY TO BE HELD ON JUNE 2ND TO HONOR VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF GUN VIOLENCE
WHAT: Friday, June 2, 2017 marks the 3rd Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Governor Dannel Malloy has issued a proclamation that June 2, 2017 is the Gun Violence Awareness Day for the State of Connecticut and First Selectwoman Pat Llodra has issued the same for the Town of Newtown.
The Brady Campaign Greater Danbury Chapter, CT Against Gun Violence, The Enough Campaign, Greenwich Council Against Gun Violence, Jr. Newtown Action Alliance, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Newtown Action Alliance, and Sandy Hook Promise are uniting again to turn Newtown Orange to #EndGunViolence.
From December 14, 2012 to December 14, 2017 (the 5th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting), over half a million Americans will be killed or injured by guns in America. Newtown is moving forward but Newtown has not moved on. We must continue to shed a light on the tragic epidemic of gun violence in our nation to engage more Americans to make gun violence prevention a priority.
HOW IT BEGAN: Wear Orange was inspired by friends of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old Chicago high school student killed by gunfire, who decided to honor her life by wearing orange – the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. This year, on June 2, 2017 — what would have been Hadiya’s 20th birthday — hundreds of influencers, corporate partners, non-profit partners, landmarks and elected officials will participate in the Wear Orange campaign for National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
WHO: Brady Campaign Greater Danbury Chapter, CT Against Gun Violence, the Enough Campaign, Greenwich Council Against Gun Violence, Jr Newtown Action Alliance, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Newtown Action Alliance and Sandy Hook Promise.
Speakers include:
Melissa Joan Hart: Actress & Member of Everytown for Gun Safety’s Creative Council
Richard Blumenthal: U.S. Senator
Pat Llodra: First Selectwoman of Newtown
Mark Barden: Founder and Managing Director of Sandy Hook Promise who lost his son to gun violence in Sandy Hook
Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, Founders of Jessi’s Message who lost their daughter to gun violence in Aurora
Yvonne Crasso: Activist and survivor who lost her sister to domestic gun violence
Rev. Sam Saylor: Vice President of the National Gun Victims Action Council who lost his son to gun violence in Hartford
Conor Pfeifer, Director of Operations of the Triangle Community Center
Abbey Clements: Volunteer & Survivor Fellow of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense In America & Everytown for Gun Safety
Po Murray: Chair of Newtown Action Alliance & the Newtown Foundation
Jonathan Perloe: Director of Communications of CT Against Gun Violence
Tom Campbell: President, Brady Campaign Greater Danbury Chapter
Jackson Mittleman & Tommy Murray: Co-chairs of Jr Newtown Action Alliance
WHERE:
#WearOrange march will begin at 5pm at Fairfield Hills Campus (3 Primrose Lane, Newtown, CT) followed by the #WearOrange rally at Edmond Town Hall at approximately 6pm at Edmond Town Hall (45 Main St, Newtown, CT)
WHEN: Friday, June 2, 2017 from 5-7pm
CONTACTS:
Brady Campaign Greater Danbury Chapter
Tom Campbell
DanburyCt@Bradymail.org
203-429-4193
Connecticut Against Gun Violence
Jonathan Perloe
jonathan.cagv@icloud.com
203-249-7027
The Enough Campaign
Shira Tarantino
shira.tarantino@icloud.com
Greenwich Council to Against Gun Violence
Liz Perry
lizperry1973@gmail.com
Newtown Action Alliance
John Kelley
jkelley@newtownaction.org
917-679-6475
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Press@Everytown.org
202 517 6621
Sandy Hook Promise
Stephanie Morris, Stephanie@dvmcpr.com
646-650-5005
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Brady Campaign Greater Danbury Chapter (http://www.bradycampaign.org) Brady has announced the bold goal to cut the number of U.S. gun deaths in half by 2025, based on an innovative and exciting strategy that centers on the idea of keeping guns out of the wrong hands through three impact-driven, broadly engaging campaigns: (1) a policy focus to “Finish the Job” so that life-saving Brady background checks are applied to all gun sales; (2) to “Stop ‘Bad Apple’ Gun Dealers” – the 5 percent of gun dealers that supply 90 percent of all crime guns; and (3) to lead a new national conversation and change social norms around the real dangers of guns in the home, to prevent the homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings that happen every day as a result.
CT Against Gun Violence is a Connecticut non-profit organization dedicated to making Connecticut communities, families, and children safe from gun violence through a common sense approach to public education and legislative advocacy. For more information please visit our website at www.cagv.org
The ENOUGH Campaign was formed by local moms from Fairfield County, CT just days following the Newtown shooting. Its mission is to protect our families and our country as we advocate for more public awareness on the issues of gun violence prevention in America. Through legislative advocacy and community education, we champion stronger gun laws and aim to transform public perceptions of gun safety.
Greenwich Council Against Gun Violence is a local grassroots organization of concerned residents from Greenwich, CT. Its mission is to join hands with others to work for common-sense state and federal regulation of firearms to help reduce gun violence. www.facebook.com/GreenwichCouncilAgainstGunViolence
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a grassroots movement of American mothers fighting for public safety measures that respect the Second Amendment and protect people from gun violence. Moms Demand Action campaigns for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our children and families. Since its inception after the tragedy at Sandy Hook School, Moms Demand Action has established a chapter in every state of the country and, along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the Everytown Survivor Network, it is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with more than three million supporters and more than 125,000 donors. For more information or to get involved visit www.momsdemandaction.org. Follow us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction or on Twitter at @MomsDemand
Newtown Action Alliance (www.newtownaction.org) is a grassroots organization formed after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It works to make America’s children, families, and all citizens safer through legislative and cultural change that will reduce gun violence.
About Sandy Hook Promise: Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national, nonprofit organization based in Newtown, Connecticut. We are led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012 that claimed the lives of 20 first-graders and 6 educators. Sandy Hook Promise is focused on preventing gun violence (and other forms of violence) BEFORE it happens by educating and mobilizing parents, schools and communities on mental health and wellness programs that identify, intervene and help at-risk individuals. SHP is a moderate, above-the-politics organization that supports sensible non-policy and policy solutions that protect children and prevent gun violence. Our intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation. Make the Promise at www.sandyhookpromise.org.
About WearOrange (www.wearorange.org): Orange is the color that Hadiya Pendleton’s friends wore in her honor when she was shot and killed in Chicago at the age of 15 — just one week after performing at President Obama’s 2nd inaugural parade in 2013. After her death, they asked us to stand up, speak out, and Wear Orange to raise awareness about gun violence. We wear orange for Hadiya and to honor the more than 90 lives cut short and the hundreds more injured by gun violence every day — and to demand action. Orange is what hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others from harm. Orange is a bright, bold color that demands to be seen. Orange expresses our collective hope as a nation — a hope for a future free from gun violence.We are not headlines or statistics. We are mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers, and friends. We are teachers, dancers, athletes and activists. We are here and we are united. We demand to be seen and we demand to see change. There’s no more important time to get involved than this year, this summer, this day. Our country is at a turning point, and now more than ever, we have to fight for what we believe in. June 2nd is National Gun Violence Awareness Day and Americans across the country will be wearing orange. It may seem like a simple statement — but when we all act together, we can’t be ignored. Our social networks, television screens, and communities will light up orange, standing together for a future free from gun violence.