Solana Beach recognizes Gun Violence Awareness Day

Solana Beach City Council members issued a proclamation for National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 2.

“We as a country must do more to end this public health crisis,” Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner said, reading the text of the proclamation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more Americans died from gun-related injuries in 2021, the latest year for which data is available, than any other year on record. That includes suicides, which accounted for more than half of those gun deaths, and murders.

“Cities across the nation, including Solana Beach, are working to end the senseless violence with evidence-based solutions and protecting public safety in the communities they serve,” the proclamation read.

“Wear Orange” rallies will be held across the nation throughout that week, including a few in San Diego County. One will be in Encinitas on June 3 at 10 a.m., with participants meeting at the Cardiff Kook on South Coast Highway 101.

The events coincide with the one-year anniversary of the school shooting in Uvalde that left 19 students and two teachers dead at the hands of an 18-year-old gunman and an inept response by local police.

There will also be rallies at the San Diego County Administration Center, located at 1600 Pacific Highway on the waterfront, June 1 at noon, as well as the city of San Diego Administrative Building, located at 202 C St. in downtown, June 6 at 9:45 a.m.