[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 94 (Monday, June 3, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 SENATE RESOLUTION 716--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF JUNE 
 7, 2024, AS ``NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY'' AND JUNE 2024 AS 
               ``NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH''

  Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
Blumenthal, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Booker, Mr. Welch, Mr. Reed, Mr. Kaine, Mr. 
Heinrich, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Casey, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Murphy, and Mr. 
Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 716

       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) 24,000 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 2023 was a deadly year for the United States, with 
     an estimated 16,100 people killed in gun homicides or 
     nonsuicide-related shootings;
       Whereas, in 2023, unintentional shootings by children 
     surpassed 400 incidents for the first time ever, resulting in 
     nearly 160 deaths annually;
       Whereas, by one count, in 2023 in the United States, there 
     were 656 mass-shooting incidents in which not fewer than 4 
     people were killed or wounded by gunfire;
       Whereas, nationwide, 87,000 military veterans died by gun 
     suicide from 2002-2021;
       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 people 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 7, 2024, to recognize the 27th 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 2024 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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