[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 95 (Thursday, June 1, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 231--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF JUNE 
 2, 2023, AS ``NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY'' AND JUNE 2023 AS 
               ``NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH''

  Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Markey, Mr. Welch, Mrs. 
Feinstein, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Casey, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Booker, Mr. Lujan, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. 
Reed, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
Heinrich, and Mr. Padilla) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 231

       Whereas, each year in the United States, more than--
       (1) 43,000 individuals are killed and 76,000 individuals 
     are wounded by gunfire;
       (2) 17,000 individuals are killed in homicides involving 
     guns;
       (3) 25,000 individuals die by suicide using a gun; and
       (4) 500 individuals are killed in unintentional shootings;
       Whereas, since 1968, more individuals have died from guns 
     in the United States than have died on the battlefields of 
     all the wars in the history of the United States;
       Whereas 2022 was an especially deadly year for the United 
     States, with an estimated 20,100 people killed in homicides 
     involving guns or nonsuicide-related shootings;
       Whereas, in 2022, unintentional shootings by children 
     surpassed 350 incidents for the third year in a row, 
     resulting in nearly 140 deaths annually;
       Whereas, by one count, in 2022 in the United States, there 
     were 646 mass-shooting incidents in which not fewer than 4 
     people were killed or wounded by gunfire;
       Whereas, from 2010 to 2021 in the United States, 65,000 
     military veterans died by suicide, the overwhelming majority 
     of such deaths being the result of a firearm;
       Whereas, every year in the United States, nearly 4,000 
     children and teens are killed by gun violence and 15,000 
     children and teens are shot and wounded;
       Whereas approximately 9,300 individuals in the United 
     States under 25 years of age die because of gun violence 
     annually, including Hadiya Pendleton, who, in 2013, was 
     killed at 15 years of age in Chicago, Illinois, while 
     standing in a park;
       Whereas, on June 2, 2023, to recognize the 26th birthday of 
     Hadiya Pendleton (born June 2, 1997), people across the 
     United States will recognize ``National Gun Violence 
     Awareness Day'' and wear orange in tribute to--
       (1) Hadiya Pendleton and other victims of gun violence; and
       (2) the loved ones of those victims; and
       Whereas June 2023 is an appropriate month to designate as 
     ``National Gun Violence Awareness Month'': Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports--
       (A) the designation of ``National Gun Violence Awareness 
     Month'' and the goals and ideals of that month; and
       (B) the designation of ``National Gun Violence Awareness 
     Day'', in remembrance of the victims of gun violence; and
       (2) calls on the people of the United States to--
       (A) promote greater awareness of gun violence and gun 
     safety;
       (B) wear orange, the color that hunters wear to show that 
     they are not targets, on ``National Gun Violence Awareness 
     Day'';
       (C) concentrate heightened attention on gun violence during 
     the summer months, when gun violence typically increases; and
       (D) bring community members and leaders together to discuss 
     ways to make communities safer.

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