Screen Shot 2015-05-17 at 12.12.52 PM

Press release:

NEW YORK, May 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Today a broad coalition of leading organizations, cultural influencers, community members and activists unveiled “Wear Orange” (www.wearorange.org), a new campaign that will amplify existing efforts to reduce gun violence in America.  To help honor the 88 Americans whose lives are cut short by gun violence every day — and the countless survivors whose lives are forever altered by shootings each year — the coalition has designated June 2, 2015 as the first annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day.  On this day, campaign partners invite everyone who agrees we can do more to save American lives from gun violence to do one simple thing: Wear Orange . . .

The idea was inspired by a group of Chicago teens who asked their classmates to commemorate the life of a slain friend by wearing orange.  They chose the color because hunters wear orange to announce themselves to other hunters when out in the woods.  Their friend — Hadiya Pendleton, a 15 year old high school student — marched in President Obama’s 2nd inaugural parade and was tragically shot and killed back in Chicago just a week later.  This June 2nd would have been Hadiya’s 18th birthday; First Lady Michelle Obamawill deliver the commencement address at what would have been Hadiya’s graduation ceremony on June 9th.

The coalition includes a wide cross section of gun violence, domestic violence, mental health, suicide prevention and faith-based organizations doing work proven to save lives.  Early partners, in alphabetical order, include Amnesty International USA, Everytown for Gun Safety, Generation Progress, Hadiya’s Promise, Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, The JED Foundation, Know Your IX, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Project Orange Tree and The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) and NFTY – The Reform Jewish Youth Movement. 

“Our daughter Hadiya was a beautiful girl who was full of laughter and had her whole life ahead of her,” reflected her mother, Cleopatra Pendleton. “Too many Americans are dying every day from senseless acts of gun violence and it has to stop. We don’t want other parents to endure the pain and suffering our family has these past few years. We are honored to know that so many Americans will join us and Wear Orange on June 2nd to celebrate Hadiya’s life and the lives of all those taken by gun violence.”

Gun violence prevention champions Julianne Moore, Sarah Silverman and Michael Stipe have joined in early and will call on fans to Wear Orange on June 2nd.  Anyone can join in the campaign by visiting wearorange.org and using the site’s pledge tool to change their social media profile picture or share why they’ll be #WearingOrange on the first National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Originating in hunting culture, orange acknowledges that America has a proud heritage of responsible gun ownership. But orange also reflects the value of human life. When hunting in the woods, it’s expected you’ll take aim at a deer or bird – but you’re also obligated to take care with your life and the lives of fellow hunters. By wearing orange on June 2nd, Americans will pledge to:

  • Honor the lives – and lost human potential – of Americans stolen by gun violence
  • Do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands
  • Be responsible gun owners and keep our children safe

Additional coalition partners, ambassadors, events and campaign developments will be announced in the weeks ahead.

CONTACT:
[email protected]; 646.580.5281

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

125 COMMENTS

  1. Robert or staff please make a list of celebrity and talking heads that participate in this nonsense

    • the campaign is to memorialize the poor young girl who was shot after being at the state of the union. The campaign page implies her killer was not caught. He was. Once again a amazing lax criminal justice system let this repeated violent criminal and felon on our streets to kill this young woman.
      Killer had four arrestsincluding a violent felony conviction for which he got only probation all in his 18th year of age alone. Before that his juvenile record had several violent crimes, including robbery (knife) and assaults.

      At the time of the shooting, Ward, the gunman, was on probation. In January 2012, he had pled guilty to aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and was sentenced to two years of probation. Less than three months later, he was arrested and charged with breaking into a car. In July 2012, he was arrested for breaking into a different vehicle. In November 2012, he was arrested for misdemeanor trespassing. During his youth, he had also been arrested numerous times on charges ranging from robbery to battery to marijuana possession, and had spent time on juvenile probation
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Hadiya_Pendleton

  2. do one simple thing: Wear Orange

    I’m sure that the organizers will claim the support of a large part of the prison population of the United States and most of the prisoners summarily executed by ISIS.

    • And my response was going to be: if more violent felons were wearing orange (jumpsuits) instead of roaming the streets, actual “gun violence” would be almost non-existent.

      The US has two problems that cause the vast majority of gun-related fatalities: suicide and gangs. Wearing orange will do nothing to solve either problem.

    • My thoughts were that since the criminal thug population is already wearing orange and would most certainly approve of gun control efforts to disarm their victims; that their liberal Socialist sympathizers should wear orange as well to show their support for governmental thug policies which disarm and allow easier predation of their citizen victims.

    • Just went through my closet Ralph. Would you believe I don’t own a single international safety orange anything? They say black is the new orange so I may have to go with an old Blue Oyster Cult concert t-shirt instead.

    • Serious bummer, man – now I will have to skip that day of Spring bear season, since I wouldn’t want to be caught wearing an orange vest and being mistaken for one of these dweebs. Why didn’t they pick pink, or a rainbow, like all the rest of the leftist FEELgood campaigns?

  3. I always roll my eyes when I see my Jewish brethren buying into the gun control nonsense. “Never Again” should be more than just an empty phrase.

    • And it won’t be until they stop worshipping their Progressive “idols”. (I plan to resist getting in the cattle car.)

    • Im always disappointed when I see an anti gun Jewish organization It makes me wonder what is wrong with these people and Im ashamed by them.
      Never Again means NEVER AGAIN……

  4. These people do not understand what they are asking for. I will personally wear orange in the hopes that the drug cartels will reduce the amount of narcotics they are smuggling into the US.

  5. They are laying that “we respect gun ownership too” stuff on pretty thick aren’t they? Playing for the Fudds I reckon. It’s a smart move on their part I think, one of the smarter things they have done. Hopefully with twits like Sarah Silverman taking a leading role, the mask will slip pretty quickly.

    • Definitely smart. If we (POTG) do not wear orange then they can spin a yarn about how we don’t care about the victims of “gun violence.” And if we do then we contribute to helping those organizations try to stay relevant. They’re badly in need of some PR, and this is not a bad move on their part to grab some attention.

      I like the idea of wearing orange and OC on that day to get our own message out. After all, I agree with their bullet points–we can do more to reduce violence inflicted with guns. We can introduce the uninitiated to responsible gun ownership and combat hoplophobia. We can teach real gun safety like the 4 rules and Eddie the Eagle to more people. We can eliminate gun free zones. We can roll back unconstitutional infringements on RKBA. We can establish national reciprocity and wipe out the patchwork of regional laws that make carrying and transporting arms a legal minefield for responsible people. We can abolish arbitrary restrictions on barrel lengths and suppressors.

  6. Where do people buy violent guns? All my guns just go to the range and sit in my safes. Even then I have to pull the trigger and drive them there. Noone told me I bought safe queens. /sarc

    • Guns can be violent if provoked. Just last year my LC9 bit my finger really hard and drew blood while I was poking my finger around inside it with the slide locked back. The slide unlocked on me. Apparently I pissed it off.

      • You know, the safety on my SR9c ripped the skin off the end of my finger while I was racking the slide with an “overhand” grip…

        Must be a Ruger thing.

  7. This sure has a distinct similarity to the anti smoking campaigns that are shaming people into not using their free will if they so choose to smoke.

    “The coalition” Sh1t, why dont they just call it the Legion of Doom and just get on with it…

      • The word “legion” implies many people working together for a (usually violent) goal. I’m sure we all remember the Roman Legions?

        Either way, whether in reference to the number of participants or the violent action, I do not think it applies to these buffoons.

  8. Keeping in true form, they’ll count everyone wearing a University of Texas shirt or hat as supporters…just like anyone walking by when they take a picture of their “hundreds” of supporters.

    • As a University of Illinois grad, I couldn’t be more annoyed that they are trying to claim orange as their color.

    • Disagree vehemently here. Wear something with a REAL gun safety logo, like an orange NRA Freedom cap. If enough people do it, we have people asking THEM if they belong to the NRA. That ought to end this nonsense.

    • I think this is the way to respond. We print up our own orange T-shirts:
      – Eddie Eagle for gun safety!
      – “Che”-like mug shots of convicted murderers listing their priors
      – Response: 1 – 1911; 2 – 911
      – My live my choice in how to protect it
      and so forth

    • As long as we’re talking bumper stickers how about a re-print of a sticker I saw in California years ago, on an orange backing: “Help stop gang violence! SHOOT BACK!”

    • Do both. Buy a blank orange t-shirt and put a message on it in black sharpie.

      Maybe something like:

      Doing my part to
      fight gun crime!
      WITH MY GLOCK.
      June 2, 2015

      • Both colors are Irish. The Republic’s tricolor is green, white, orange from left to right.

        • True. I saw it as a joke about the protestant Unionists (Orange) of Northern Ireland, vs the catholic Republicans (Green). But maybe Colt was just talking about the flag, where those colors are at opposite ends.

        • The green is the Catholics, the orange the Protestants, and the white the truce between them.

          26+6=1
          I’ll be out in green on the 2nd.

        • 26+6 equal the Irish Republic inherits the problem. That why the citizens of the Republic hate the IRA. Let the dumb @$$ Brits get killed dealing with a disgruntle population.

        • I was referring to the Protestant vs. Catholic issues. My ancestors were Scots-Irish (Ulster Scots). I remember as a child looking for something green to wear on St. Patrick’s Day. My mother told me “We’re Scots-Irish and Protestant. Orange is our color”. Quite often, I still wear orange on St. Patrick’s Day.

        • Ditto on the Ulster Scot ancestors. Some of the family branches trace back to Border Reivers, too, so I guess I have some outlaw blood.

      • I was going to suggest they do the wearin’ o the Orange on February 17th and plan their big rally for Boston and maybe another in Savannah, that might give them a taste of another type of violence.

  16. Do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands of people such as civilians and only allow military and police to possess them.

    Be responsible gun owners as those in government are and keep our children safe from civilian guns by confiscating them. The guns and the children should both be confiscated and placed under government custody.

  17. For once something I highly encourage anti gun people to support. Makes them more more visable targets.

    I know, bad joke.

    • Actually, I was going to mention this, not as a joke but as reality: June 2nd will be open season on anyone wearing orange — as far as violent criminals are concerned. I wonder how many people wearing orange are going to be victims of violent crime that day?

      • If a successful event, it will be a target rich environment. And the sheep will stand out in a crowd.

  18. I’m going to wear all black that today to protest the oppression and bigotry that all black firearms worldwide face.

  19. Counter protest!

    Wear blue to commemorate the lives saved by firearms!

    On that same day, we need to wear blue to signify the lives saved by firearms every year. This should be done to honor the LEOs and would be victim citizens who are still with us because they had a gun at the right time.

    Who’s with me?

  20. Okay we need to move fast. What we’re going to do first is get a load of hunter orange shirts and then we’ll put a photo of Michal Bloomberg with his quote about how minorities can’t be allowed to own guns. Then we need to get everyone to wear them to each media event they host.

  21. This doesn’t give me much time to find an orange NRA shirt. This last minute stuff is so uncivilized…

  22. Yet another dumb idea from the liberal control freaks.

    All this is going to do is tell armed criminals everywhere that any of these “Wear Orange” folks are more potential unarmed targets for their felonious shenanigans.

    Guess stupid is as stupid does.

    • And you beat me to it as well. I wrote a nearly identical comment above (in content anyway) before reading your comment.

      Anyone wearing orange on June 2nd is almost guaranteed to be unarmed. Criminals like that sort of thing.

      • I wonder how many reports of attacked-while-wearing-orange will be hidden by the liberal media in favor of their idiotic agenda? Most of them probably.

        Oy, the stupid… it burns! LOL!

        • Are you kidding? Every “attacked while wearing orange” will be shouted from the rooftops. It will be the ID of the attacker that will be hidden–altho it will be implied that it was some outraged gun-nut.

    • “HEY LOOK AT ME, I’M AN EASY TARGET!” They deserve to reap what they sow with this.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQwWaWFjd0Y

      Same orange t-shirts with our sane counter-message would be great. Don’t change the color. The target audience is easily confused…

      “Buy a Gun, Save The Children!”

      “Buy a Gun, Save a Life!”

      “Don’t stand idly by and watch, BUY A GUN!”

      “If it’s so terrible, why don’t you buy a gun and do something about it?”

  23. I’ll start wearing purple instead.

    All kidding aside, it’ll be an interesting day, seeing who around you in town really is that dedicated to this stuff. I’m definitely going to go “anti spotting”. Really wonder if I’ll see a single “maaahm” wearing orange here in the CO mountains.

    • On a serious note please educate your lady friends on the very real danger of wearing orange on June 2nd. Rapists love nothing more than a female victim who is almost guaranteed to be unarmed.

      • I would, but I doubt any of my friends will be participating. If anything it’ll be a range trip day.

    • I believe its green. Orange is a combination of red and yellow, and green is a combo of blue and yellow.

  25. I like the idea of a counter using blue or green t-shirts. Maybe with the NRA logo on them or a pic of the 2nd A.

  27. As I noted above, I disagree vehemently with the “wear blue” or some other color. Wear something with a REAL gun (safety) logo, like an orange NRA Freedom cap, range safety officer cap/short, etc. The NRA 2015 Nashville cap is it turns out, has orange. (Naturally, “NRA” would rile them up the most, but an orange cap/shirt with “Beretta” or “Keep Calm and Carry One” on it is just as good. )

    And, if you can, open carry.

    If enough people do it, we can turn this back on them.

    • This -> “Wear something with a REAL gun (safety) logo, like an orange NRA Freedom cap, range safety officer cap/short, etc. … ( …but an orange cap/shirt with “Beretta” or “Keep Calm and Carry One” on it is just as good. )

      And, if you can, open carry.”

      Act like you belong there, keep your head (don’t take their bait, and they will try to bait you), and have thought out your position, so you’ll be able to say it quickly, and well: “Of course I have safety orange gear to wear. Gun safety is the first, and main thing we pay attention to. You know the four rules, of course…”

      Make the point, and make them make their point: Is it the boom-y things (some with “magazine clips” being the “thing(s-ed) that go up”) or people. Which people and why? Is it knucklehead behavior or do they declare that we are all knuckleheads?

      Show how people behave responsibly with dangerous things, and hijack the message that dare not speak its name.

      “…”

      “Oh, you’ve been misinformed. Those silly people firing at random on TV or similar are just plain wrong. Nothing will get you thrown out of a gun range or gun club faster than violating any of the safety rules, or any range directive. Fronting off, flashing a gun to make a point is the opposite of what we teach, and tolerate. Even when bad guys do bad things, Bronson’s ‘Death Wish’ is still a fantasy. There’s a name for people who do that – serial killers…

      So, yeah. I’m completely against knuckleheads waving guns around. So glad we’re all making the point together: With great power comes great responsibility. You wanna try shooting at a range, sometime?”

      If you’re really interested in stirring the pot, wait for them to say “Zimmerman.”(*)(**) Of course the actual facts of the latest Zimmerman-involved “shooting” are getting limited play, with perfectly misleading headlines. “Oh yeah, that’s exactly the stuff we’re against. Some whack-job, known stalker guy takes a shot at Zimmerman on the highway. What the hell?”

      “Do you know the rest? Then Zimmerman left. That’s gun safety; get away if you can. That’s what we do. Even people who carry for their own safety, that’s the last choice.”

      “BTW, you should see all the commentary in the gun-hobbyist discussions about how Zimmerman should probably keep a low profile. He’s gonna be crazy-bait, now.

      Gun hobbyists generally don’t draw attention to themselves. You never knew there were so many did you? Something like 40% of households. Nobody shooting anybody – just another normal day.”

      (*) Oh, they’ll go there. So, be ready so you’re not surprised. The move is *agree*, then *pivot.* “Oh yeah. Some whackjob shooting on a crowded highway – craziness. Yeah, we’re all about using guns safely – guns without violence – which is why we all have orange.”

      (**) I question his judgment. Unquestionably he was a pretty bad example case, and a poor witness for himself, especially after the trial. That doesn’t make him criminal.

  28. If they were smart, they would have scheduled this on the first day of hunting season.

  30. Great, thanks for forking up my birthday. I’m buying at least 1 new gun that day and I will be OCing like a champ in protest of their demonstration. Jerks.

  31. More Liberal nonsense designed to appeal to the emotions of clueless people. This is about as dumb as that thing a few years back where everyone was supposed to turn their lights off for an hour or something to show solidarity to conserve energy and save the planet. Such tripe!

    I think I’ll wear a Ranger Up T-shirt that day and go to the range. The best way to reduce gun violence is to take a bad guy off the street.

  32. Huh surprised they did not pick deer season for this…..

    ” look millions of deer hunters support us ! “

  34. Wearing orange in June because of guns…

    Why? Is deer season opening up early this year?

  36. For everyone commenting why this was not done in Nov: The last thing they want is people with guns wearing orange!

    Think about that as you choose your attire.

  37. If I recall correctly, Hadiya Pendelton was murdered by a young gangster with serious priors.

    If he hadn’t been part of Chicago’s catch-and-release program, she would still be alive.

    • But, of course, the Libs who never believe anyone should take responsibility for anything want to blame the violent, vicious, homicidal gun that forced that poor fourth generation welfare boy to shoot her.

  39. I went and had a look at the website. They are inviting people to post photos with a pledge of participation. I have a few photos that will look right at home. Heh heh heh.

  40. A “new broad-based coalition”? if you go to the page and scroll to the bottom, it looks like another wholly-owned subsidiary of Everytown. What’s new about that? And why are they calling Shannon a “broad”?

  42. I think I’ll just mark that solemn day by taking my AR15 and going down to the range for a little fun…and there wont be a damn thing on me even closely resembling the color orange! Absloutely appalling the behavior of these twisted liberals.

  43. “Honor the lives – and lost human potential – of Americans stolen by gun violence”. Judging by the stats of these lives “stolen by gun violence”, the majority of that “lost potential” doesn’t range far from “sell drugs” and “break laws”.

  44. Well, I guess I won’t be wearing my Buc-ee’s shirt that day.

    I usually wear it on St. Patrick’s Day to be a jerk. 😉

    I’ll wear the green on 6/2.

  45. Well, I’d like to show them my daughter’s autopsy photos.

    She was stabbed over 40 times……

    Only a tattoo on her ankle permitted identification. That process took 2 years to kill her mother and my wife of 31 years.

    In my dreams the color is always red……

  46. Orange.

    Kinda like orange jumpsuits.

    Kinda like the orange jumpsuits worn by the imprisoned scum that actually use guns to hurt people.

  47. June 2nd is my baby granddaughters birthday(really). I think I’ll wear PINK in honor of her 4th birthday-or just a freakin’ red nose. Oh yeah sorry a punk-azz gang boy shot your kid. Who we wouldn’t know except she danced for odumbo…and these same scum-dogs picketed Chucks gun shop in Riverdale ,Illinois last week-with little media coverage.

  49. Just more ridiculous do-nothing slacktivism brought to you by our dear old friends Michael Bloomberg and Shannon Watts. I don’t think the problem with people in the inner cities gunning each other down has anything to do with them not being able to see each other. Maybe ‘wear camoflauge’ or ‘don’t go outside ever if you live in Chicago’s inner city, governed by liberals since its inception’ would be more appropriate.

  50. the campaign is supposedly to memorialize the poor young girl who was shot after being at the state of the union. The campaign page implies her killer was not caught. He was. Once again a amazing lax criminal justice system let this repeated violent criminal and felon on our streets to kill this young woman.

    It is DISGUSTING they are using her death caused by a DEMOCRAT JUDGE giving parole to the criminal who would eventually kill her.

    Killer had four arrestsincluding a violent felony conviction for which he got only probation all in his 18th year of age alone. Before that his juvenile record had several violent crimes, including robbery (knife) and assaults.

    At the time of the shooting, Ward, the gunman, was on probation. In January 2012, he had pled guilty to aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and was sentenced to two years of probation. Less than three months later, he was arrested and charged with breaking into a car. In July 2012, he was arrested for breaking into a different vehicle. In November 2012, he was arrested for misdemeanor trespassing. During his youth, he had also been arrested numerous times on charges ranging from robbery to battery to marijuana possession, and had spent time on juvenile probation
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Hadiya_Pendleton

  51. As an American-Thai, I’ve had enough of using colors for political purposes. I couldn’t wear red or yellow for a while, at least among other Thais, becuase of this sort of crap.

    I love orange and the majority of my wardrobe is orange, as well as my motorcycle gear, which also has safety purposes. They’d better not try to make orange the anti gun color outside that one day.

  52. I’ll wear black to remind people the color of the murderer who killed that young girl, how about these orgs. Everytown for Black Safety, Illinois Council Against Black Violence, Moms Demand Action for Black Sense in America, National Coalition Against Black Domestic Violence, Project Black Tree.

  53. I’m already so effin’ aware of all the other liberal days I can’t spare another.
    I’d like to reserve one day where they just leave me alone.

  54. Are you kidding?

    I’m from Norman, Oklahoma.

    The only time I ever wear orange is rifle season.

    And the only reason I wear it then is state law…

    What a disagreeable color… 😉

  55. What color do we wear for National trample-your-rights- in-the name-of-gun-control, day.?

  57. Let’s expand on this. How about all the anti-2 amendment folks and Progressives wear brown shirts and red arm bands. Lets just call it a “show your true colors” day.

    • All these ideas are great agitprop (which is what the “event” itself is), if somebody does them. If we do this kind of theater in comments among ourselves, it does no good at all.

      Remember when the yippies, and/or Larry Flint scandalized the pearl-clutchers by wearing American flags in court … as a comment on the court proceedings being imposed on them.

      You don’t have to agree with any of these guy’s positions or taste to note their effective tactics.

  58. This so called “broadbased” coalition is nothing but a coalition of anti gun/anti 2nd amendment groups. What they are trying to do with this is to see if they can sucker in gun owners into walking around town for a day with their orange on so they can be identified.

    Simple tip…if it involves the evil lying scumbags at Everytown, then you know it’s not on the up and up.

  59. Stopped reading in the first couple of lines where it says that 88 Americans die from gun violence each day. Always good to start off with a lie, it saves me the time of reading the rest.

Comments are closed.