Mayor Barrett declares June 4 National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Friday, June 4, is National Wear Orange Day, bringing awareness to gun violence.

Mayor Tom Barrett took it a step further, officially declaring June 4 National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the city of Milwaukee. 

He was joined by representatives from other organizations including Moms Demand Action, Forward Latino, the Office of Violence Prevention and the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort.

"We're seeing increases all over the nation in these shootings," said Mayor Barrett. "And somehow, more guns are going to solve this problem. I think we've seen time and time again that hasn't happened."

"Gun violence is a public health crisis," said State Representative Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa). "And we need to take it that seriously, but it's also not inevitable. It's a solvable problem and we need to solve it."

Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015, for what would have been Hadiya Pendleton's 18th birthday.

It began with teenagers in Chicago who wanted to honor their friend, Hadiya, after she was shot and killed.

Today, Wear Orange honors Hadiya and the more than 100 Americans shot and killed every day.