Baltimore Orioles Will Mark National Gun Violence Awareness Day On June 3
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Following several high-profile mass shootings across the nation, the Baltimore Orioles announced the team will recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Day before and during Friday's game against the Cleveland Guardians.
A moment of silence will be held before first pitch in memory of all the victims of gun violence and "show support for organizations working to enact stricter gun legislation," the team said.
The ballclub will raise awareness about gun violence throughout the weekend series. The Warehouse at Oriole Park at Camden Yards will be illuminated in orange and all uniformed personnel will wear orange jerseys -- a nod not to the team's traditional colors but to Wear Orange Weekend.
The campaign was founded in 2013 after Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed on a Chicago playground. Her friends decided to commemorate her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to increase visibility and protect themselves.
Additionally, all sales of game-used memorabilia in the Orioles Authentics story will benefit Moms Demand Action, a group formed in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 to call for stronger gun laws.
The Orioles Charitable Foundation will match 100% of the store's in-person and online sales from the weekend.