National Gun Violence Awareness Day Recognized Locally
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) - Buildings across the Delaware Valley will be lit up orange Thursday night, in recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
Also known as "wear orange day," events are being held across the nation, including on the steps of the Montgomery County Courthouse.
The day was started by teenagers in Chicago to remember their friend, Hadiya Pendleton, shot and killed just one week after her school band played at Barack Obama's second inauguration.
"Picking the color that hunters wear to be safe when they're hunting," says Shira Goodman with Ceasefire PA. "To pick the color orange so we would all be safe."
Goodman was joined by State Rep Madeleine Dean who says the US leads the world with 33,000 people killed each year by guns, or 91 people per day:
"What if we recognized we were losing a jetliner of people in America including children every day, would we not do something about that?"
"We get an up close look at gun violence and the damage it causes," adds Montgomery County Assistant DA Tom McGoldrick. "We need to work together to raise awareness of the problem and try to reduce the violence. We need to approach the problem from every angle."