Nearly 130 Americans are killed in gun violence incidents every day, and more than 200 are wounded. Gun violence kills five children each day and injures another 18. Firearms kill Americans in several ways, being used in 76% of homicides and 57% of suicides, and killing at least 450 Americans in accidental shootings in 2024.
 
After 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed outside her high school, June, the month in which Hadiya should have been celebrating her birthday, has been observed nationally as gun violence awareness month. The occasion is meant to bring awareness to the role gun violence plays in cutting many of our neighbors’ lives short and to encourage action to prevent future tragedies like the one that ended Hadiya’s life and the lives of other children across Pennsylvania. For this reason, I will be introducing a resolution designating June 2026 as Gun Violence Awareness Month in Pennsylvania.
 
Gun violence is a major issue impacting all parts of Pennsylvania. We in the legislature must do better to facilitate discussions between citizens and community leaders on how to make our neighborhoods safer for our children and all of our citizens. Please join me in bringing attention to the issue of gun violence this June by co-sponsoring this resolution.