Anti-gunners have declared Friday, June 1 to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day, “when thousands of Americans will wear orange to send the powerful message that there is more we can do to end gun violence,” and they are asking people to share images of themselves wearing orange.
This is the third annual observance of the “Wear Orange” movement, which was explained last year by the American Psychological Association here.
However, it appears the color has been hijacked. Hunters have been wearing orange for longer than many of these gun prohibitionists have been alive. A few years ago, the anti-gun movement appropriated the color on the contention that it has stood for “gun safety” for a couple of generations.
True, enough, but the difference between people who have practiced gun safety for decades and those who now use the term as camo-speak for gun control is that the traditional gun owner isn’t trying to regulate anyone’s firearms.
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According to wearorange.org, “New York gun violence prevention advocate Erica Ford spearheaded orange as the color of peace through her work with her organization, Life Camp, Inc. Whether it’s worn by students in Montana, activists in New York, or Hadiya’s loved ones in Chicago, the color orange honors the more than 90 lives cut short and the hundreds more wounded by gun violence everyday (sic).”
According to their website, “Events will take place through the weekend, including rallies, marches, BBQs and more, planned by thousands of gun sense supporters like you!”
The Wear Orange page is copyrighted by anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety.
Perhaps some of the participants in Saturday’s annual invitational Elmer Keith Memorial long range handgun shoot held on private land southwest of Spokane, Washington will be wearing orange. Then, again, maybe not. Shooters involved in this private affair know that genuine gun safety isn’t found in the color of a garment, but between the ears and in the hearts of those who make a habit out of safe gun handling, not emotional gun control rhetoric.
The memorial shoot honors the late Elmer Keith (1899-1984), who earned a reputation for long range handgun shooting, writing about firearms, hunting, and cartridge and bullet development. He lived in southeast Idaho.
This shooting event raises funds for the National Rifle Association Foundation to support its programs, which are focused on firearms safety, not prohibition.
