Montclair’s Mayor, Robert Jackson, and the Township council approved a Proclamation declaring Montclair one of many across America recognizing June 2 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
Our town joins the more than 300 influencers, corporations, mayors, partner organizations and a series of more than 75 iconic landmarks across the country who will participate in the Wear Orange Campaign.
“I thought for certain after the mass shooting in Newtown that our country would weep and mourn and work together to make it more difficult to purchase guns and to make guns safer. I’m heartbroken that the death of 20 little children 6 adults trying to protect them wasn’t enough to move our lawmakers to change America’s laws and attitudes, ” says Montclair resident, BK member and chanter, and mother Melissa Schaffer, who joined Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America because she said she felt helpless and unable to do anything.
“I was so happy to hear that Jaime Bedrin (another Montclair resident and mother) was the leader of our local chapter,” says Schaffer, who adds, “Joining together we can start an open conversation, demand safer gun laws, be a stronger voice to our elected officials who vote on these decisions–let them know we will support them in this fight.”
Schaffer and Bedrin stood outside of the screening of “Newtown” at this year’s Montclair Film Festival and collected signatures for a petition for Montclair to join with towns large and small across the United States declaring June 2 National Gun Violence Awareness Day. They sent the petition to Mayor Jackson who then asked them to write a proclamation:. Once done, Montclair’s council approved it less than 48 hours later.
You can show your support tomorrow, June 2, by taking the pledge to #WearOrange.
