June 1, 2016

Yesterday, a student shot a professor at UCLA because he was despondent about his grades, and then turned the gun on himself.

Two lives, snuffed out because one person had a gun and chose to use it. And it happens every single day, over and over again.

There are so many mass shootings and shooting deaths today that it's almost commonplace. In fact, here on the site we actually have to consider which ones to highlight and which ones to pass by, because we could fill every post with another story of another person's life taken with a gun.

On Memorial Day 1971, my grandfather was shot dead in downtown LA along with several others in a rampage shooting. It was news. News that made the LA Times, news that resonated throughout the community. It was unusual.

Now it happens so often we can't even keep up with it all, and it's still escalating.

wearorange
So today is the day where we wear orange to stand for reasonable gun safety laws. When I walk the dog this morning, we will walk to the park and I will be wearing this t-shirt, blasting the message that I stand for reasonable laws, remember those who have been killed senselessly by gun violence in this nation, including my own loved one.

45 years to the day we buried my murdered grandfather, I will be standing against the NRA and for gun safety laws that are just common sense.

It's a small gesture, but if we all stand up and wear orange, it'll make a statement. My larger gesture will be to vote for candidates based upon where they stand on gun safety. If they oppose it, they're off the table. Period.

I hope you'll join me.

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