More than 40,000 people die by guns in an average year in the United States, a rate of 12.2 deaths per 100,000 people. When it comes to how American children are exposed to gun violence, gunfire at schools is just the tip of the iceberg: Every year, more than 3,500 children and teens are shot and killed and 15,000 more are shot and injured.
June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, created to raise awareness of the issue of needless and senseless gun violence in our communities. The City of Raleigh and its partners are organizing a “Wear Orange Community Awareness Day” on Saturday, June 4 at John Chavis Memorial Park. The event is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. till 12 noon.
The event will be hosted by Moms Demand Action, Raleigh Mayor’s Office, Raleigh Police Department and Raleigh-Apex NAACP.
Wear Orange Community Awareness Day
Event hosts talk about the importance of gun violence prevention.
Why Orange?
In January 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, 15, was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. Soon after, her friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. Wear Orange is now observed every June. Thousands of people wear the color to honor Hadiya and others killed with guns.
Do Your Part
To assist you with doing your part in keeping our community safe, the Raleigh Police Department is sharing some basic gun safety information.
Rules of Safe Gun Handling
These basic rules apply to everyone and they apply always, no matter how experienced a shooter you are and no matter what the circumstances are.
- Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
- Don’t point at or cover anything with the muzzle until ready to shoot.
- Keep your trigger finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot.
- Be certain of your target and your line of fire.
- Firearms should be unloaded when not in use.
- Don’t rely on your gun’s safety. The safety on the gun is a mechanical device which, like any such device, can become inoperable at the worst possible times.
- Safe and secure storage of your firearm is one of your most important responsibilities. You must always secure your firearm and ammunition so that they are not accessible to children or other unauthorized persons.
- There are a variety of locks and safe storage containers available in the marketplace that may be appropriate for your needs. By purchasing a firearm, you have taken on the responsibility of safely securing it and preventing its unauthorized use. It is your personal responsibility to select and use whatever devices or practices that will enable you to safely secure your firearm at all times.
Keeping Kids and Teens Safe around Guns
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, roughly a third of U.S. homes with children have guns. Almost two million children live with unlocked, loaded guns. Parents may not realize what a serious injury risk a gun in the home is, especially for children.
Children and teens are naturally curious about firearms and may be tempted to “play” with a firearm they find. Make sure young people who live in or visit your home are aware of and understand these safety guidelines:
- Make sure they know guns that are seen on television or video games are different from a gun in real life.
- Don’t go snooping, or allow other kids to go snooping, for guns in the house.
- If you find a gun in the house, or anywhere else, STOP! Do not touch it or allow anyone else to. Leave the area and be sure to immediately tell an adult.
- Even if a gun looks like a toy, don’t touch it. Some real guns look like toy guns, so don’t take a chance. Leave the area and immediately and tell an adult.
For more information go to healthychildren.org.