Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Friday, June 3 is Gun Violence Awareness Day and June is Gun Violence Awareness Month.
Local, state and federal leaders including Mayor Byron Brown, Congressman Brian Higgins, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz as well as numerous faith and peace leaders stood outside the steps of Buffalo City Hall to acknowledge the day.
"Our message is clear. We will not submit to the terror of gun violence. We will all do our parts to ensure the people who live in our communities are safe. We will lift our voices together and we will not be silent until there is meaningful reform," said Mayor Byron Brown
The Mayor calls upon the community to wear orange this weekend to honor those who lost their lives in Buffalo and Uvalde.
"We're calling on the Buffalo community to wear orange, the color of gun violence prevention, as often as possible. National Gun Violence Awareness Day activities will continue tonight through Sunday, with a region-wide lighting. Buffalo City Hall, other government and private buildings will illuminate orange in a show of support to end the violence."
Congressman Higgins says Congress will vote again to ban assault weapons.
"Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children. In the United States, 110 Americans die every single day of gun violence. We will be in Washington next week to vote again on a comprehensive package which will include a ban on assault weapons," said Congressman Higgins.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says we need to think about gun violence everyday, as it is a clear issue that occurs everyday.
"The sad part about it is, as we talk about today as Gun Violence Awareness Day, we truly need to think about it 365 days of the year. Unfortunately, throughout all of Western New York, gun violence occurs almost every day in different regions. Whether it's a shooting, a murder or a suicide, it has taken far too many lives in our community, symbolized by the hate that occurred on May 14. Ten precious souls were taken from us that day," said Poloncarz.
A survivor of the Jefferson Avenue shooting, Fragrance Harris Standfield, working at Tops that Saturday, recalled her story and asked for a call to action.
"It's a problem that more lives could have been saved if we weren't so used to hearing gunfire outside of the institutions where we are. We were saved because Aaron Salter engaged with the gunman. That is what alerted us that we were in danger. When we saw him backing up and engaged with the shooter, we began to run. I stand here today in unison with all the people who are standing behind me and everyone I'm sure who's in front of me that this has to stop. The only hunting that is done with an assault rifle is hunting human beings. So we really need to do something with policy to change what's happening in our country," said Standfield
