Mayor Purzycki Issues Proclamation Recognizing Friday, June 3rd as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Wilmington

June 3, 2022

With two recent, horrific mass shootings in the United States and numerous annual incidents of senseless gun violence in our own City, Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki has declared today, Friday, June 3, 2022, National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the City of Wilmington. The local chapter of Mom’s Demand Action approached the Mayor about highlighting what the legal and illegal use of guns is doing to our county and City, and the resulting toll in death and sorrow for countless children and families.
 
With Wilmington shooting incidents and shooting victims trending downward, with a 5% decrease in shooting incidents and 16% fewer shooting victims this year, Delaware and many other states continue to struggle with the scourge of gun violence. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, gun homicides in Delaware are 24% higher than the national rate. Moreover, the organization notes that firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the First State.
 
Mayor Purzycki this week signed on to a reissued letter from 2019 by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and endorsed by more than 200 mayors across the United States. It calls on Congress to immediately pass the Bipartisan Background Check Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act, both of which passed the House last year and are pending in the Senate.

Closer to home, the Mayor is lending his full support to the swift passage of a critical gun safety package announced yesterday by Governor John Carney along with Senate and House Democratic Leadership. Among other things, the proposed legislation would ban the sale of assault weapons, limit high-capacity magazines, strengthen background checks, and raise the age to purchase most firearms from a8 to 21. More information about these gun safety measures can be found here.

The Mayor was joined at the Proclamation signing by local members of Moms Demand Action as he issued a reminder that everyone can and should play a role in reducing gun violence. 

Proclamation from the Office of the Mayor

WHEREAS, every day, more than 110 Americans are killed by gun violence, alongside more than 200 who are shot and wounded, and on average there are nearly 16,000 homicides by a gun every year with Americans 26 times more likely to die by gun homicide than people in other higher-income countries; and

WHEREAS, in an average year, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, 107 people die and 279 are wounded by guns in Delaware, leaving the First State with the 25^th-highest rate of gun violence in the United States; and

WHEREAS, protecting public safety is the highest responsibility of government and the community, and given that gun homicides and assaults are concentrated in urban areas, Wilmington, like cities all across the country, is working to end the senseless violence with evidence-based solutions; and

WHEREAS, in 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, 15, was tragically shot and killed in Chicago, and her friends and classmates honored her life by wearing orange [wearorange.org] – a color worn by hunters and that symbolizes the value of human life – inspiring National Gun Violence Awareness Day and the wearing of orange as a tribute to all those affected by gun violence on what have been Hadiya’s 25^th birthday; and

WHEREAS, prevention is more important than ever, as we renew our commitment to reduce gun violence, keep firearms out of the wrong hands and encourage responsible gun ownership.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, MICHAEL S. PURZYCKI,
Mayor of the City of Wilmington, Delaware, do hereby recognize
Friday, June 3, 2022, as
 
National Gun Violence Awareness Day

in the City of Wilmington and encourage everyone to wear orange in remembrance of Hadiya and all victims of senseless gun violence while supporting their local communities’ efforts to prevent the tragic effects of this national scourge.