As part of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell and running back Kyren Williams alongside safety Kam Curl joined gun safety advocates, survivors of gun violence, elected officials and more in recognition of Wear Orange. On Friday, June 6, more than 600 events were held across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to wear orange to honor survivors of gun violence and demand a future free from gun violence through Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund.
Wear Orange was grateful to have the involvement of the Rams as the campaign raised grassroots awareness and connected new people to the movement. More than 50 professional teams and countless professional athletes, representing every major league, also participated in Wear Orange.
"We recognize the platform and reach we have to support a cause that is so important to so many people," said Williams. "Too many lives have been taken as a result of gun violence and we are supporting Wear Orange to show that we stand with all of those impacted, honor the lives lost and continue to work toward a safer future."
This year for Wear Orange, gun safety advocates focused on not only raising awareness, but on the many actionable steps that individuals can take to protect their families and communities, including building community partnerships and educating the public on responsible gun ownership and the secure storage of firearms.
The Wear Orange campaign asks everyone in America who wants to end gun violence to do one simple thing on June 6, National Gun Violence Awareness Day: Wear Orange. The broad-based Wear Orange campaign was inspired by activists in Chicago and New York City. Orange is the color that Hadiya Pendleton's friends wore in her honor when she was shot and killed in Chicago at the age of 15 in 2013. After her death, they asked us to stand up, speak out, and Wear Orange to raise awareness about gun violence. Since then, orange has been the defining color of the gun violence prevention movement. New York City gun violence prevention advocates declared orange as the color of peace, and orange is the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. Communities across America represented Wear Orange on June 6 for National Gun Violence Awareness Day and participated in events throughout Wear Orange Weekend on June 7 and 8. Those who Wear Orange promise to honor the more than 125 people shot and killed every day in America, as well as the hundreds more wounded and the countless others who witness acts of gun violence.
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund (the "Everytown Support Fund") is the education, research and litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly 11 million supporters and more than 700,000 donors. The Everytown Support Fund seeks to improve our understanding of the causes of gun violence and help to reduce it by conducting groundbreaking original research, developing evidence-based policies, communicating this knowledge to the American public, and advancing gun safety and gun violence prevention in communities and the courts. Learn more at www.everytownsupportfund.org.
To learn more about the Rams' community efforts, please visit www.therams.com/community.