Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus declared June 3 as Gun Violence Awareness Day in the City of Auburn.

Backus’s proclamation comes just over a week after an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

The proclamation states that gun violence affects every segment of society and disproportionately affects communities of color.

“I proclaim, June 3, 2022, as Gun Violence Awareness Day in the City of Auburn and urge all citizens, businesses, organizations, and agencies to work collaboratively to reduce gun violence in our community,” Backus said.

Washington has around 800 gun deaths each year. There was a 48% increase in shooting incidents in South King County last year compared to the four-year average from 2017 to 2020, the proclamation states.

Backus said Washington is a leader with laws that prevent gun violence including laws that require background checks, a ban on high-capacity magazines and the age restriction on semi-automatic weapons.

June 3 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day in memory of Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago teen who was shot and killed at the age of 15 in January 2013. Pendleton would have turned 25 on June 3, 2022, if she had not lost her life to gun violence.