A PROCLAMATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, PROCLAIMING JUNE 2, 2023 AS “NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY” IN THE CITY OF POMONA WHEREAS, every day, more than 120 Americans are killed by gun violence and more than 200 are shot and wounded, with an average of more than 17,000 gun homicides every year; and WHEREAS gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children and youth in the United States and residents are 26 times more likely to die by gun homicide than people in other high-income countries; and WHEREAS, California has an average of 3,253 gun deaths every year, with a rate of 8.1 deaths per 100,000 people, a crisis that costs the state of California 41.9 billion dollars each year, of which 1.1 billion is paid by taxpayers; and WHEREAS, gun homicides and assaults impact cities across the United States, with more than half of all firearm related gun deaths in the nation occurring in 127 cities, including gun suicides which account for half of gun deaths in the State of California; and WHEREAS, cities across the nation, including Pomona, are working to end the senseless violence with evidence-based solutions including investments in our families, youth and local neighborhoods; and WHEREAS, support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns away from children, youth and people with dangerous histories; and WHEREAS, anyone can join this campaign by pledging to wear orange on June 2nd, the first Friday in June in 2023, to help raise awareness about gun violence; and WHEREAS, by wearing orange on June 2, 2023 Americans will raise awareness about gun violence and honor the lives of gun violence victims and survivors; and WHEREAS, we renew our commitment to reduce gun violence and pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out of the hands of people who should not have access to them, and encourage responsible gun ownership to help keep our families and communities safe.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA does hereby proclaim June 2, 2023 as:
“NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY”
Dated this 15th day of May, 2023