The annual Wear Orange rally against gun violence will be held at a new location in Alexandria on Friday (June 5).
The Moms Demand Action Alexandria is hosting the rally at John Carlyle Square Park (300 John Carlyle Street) due to the City Hall and Market Square renovation project. Friday is also Gun Violence Prevention Day, and the annual rally is part of Wear Orange Weekend. Hundreds of similar events will be held throughout the country, including in neighboring Arlington,
“Join Moms Demand Action Alexandria for our annual Wear Orange event to honor victims and survivors of gun violence and recommit to doing all we can to end gun violence in our community,” the organization said on its website. “Bring your friends, family, and dogs and don’t forget to WEAR ORANGE!”
The event starts with a community resource fair at 6:30 p.m. followed by a brief speaking program at 7 p.m. Previous rallies included speeches from gun violence victims, Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) and members of the Virginia General Assembly.
There were numerous gun control bills signed in the most recent General Assembly session. One of the most notable is a ban on assault-style weapons, which the NRA and other gun rights groups are challenging in lawsuits.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has also signed Alexandria state Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s (D-39) bill to limit who a person convicted of domestic violence crimes or under a protective order can transfer their guns to. Guns can no longer be transferred to a person under 21 or someone who lives with the convicted person.
Another bill, from former state Sen. Adam Ebbin, bans the manufacture, import, purchase, sale, transfer and possession of “ghost guns” — unserialized, untraceable firearms often assembled from kits. The ban will take effect July 1, 2027.
Additional bills restore background checks and raise the gun purchase age to 21, require safe gun storage in homes with minors, ban most guns on public higher education campuses, and expand the buffer zone around polling places where guns are prohibited.
Image via Moms Demand Action/Facebook
