Rotarians for Gun Safety - Rally
Rotarians for Gun Safety support Wear Orange for National Gun Violence Awareness
June 1, 2026 (Kansas City, MO) – Rotary Clubs throughout District 6040 are proud to support the Wear Orange for National Gun Violence Awareness campaign, June 5-7.
Rotarians from the Kansas City Plaza, Independence, Harrisonville, Lee’s Summit, Thousand Hills, Liberty, Waldo-Brookside, Chillicothe, Lee’s Summit Sunrise, and Unionville clubs will wear orange clothing, light homes and offices orange, and promote gun safety as part of the campaign. These clubs founded a districtwide Committee on Gun Safety, which encourages other Rotary clubs to take action to prevent gun accidents and violence, in partnership with Grandparents for Gun Safety.
The national awareness campaign is promoted by Wear Orange, Everytown for Gun Safety, and more than 70 other organizations. In the Kansas City area, nearly two dozen churches, community centers, offices and public buildings will be glowing with orange lights over the weekend to show solidarity for those affected by gun violence.
The awareness weekend includes a Wear Orange Rally Saturday, June 6, at the Alvin Brooks Justice Center, 5401 Troost Ave., supported by Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action, Lives on the Line KC, Mothers in Charge, and Grandparents for Gun Safety. The rally will feature speakers and vendors and a walk along Troost Avenue.
“We formed Rotarians for Gun Safety to help prevent gun accidents and keep children safe,” said Janet Gremaud, Rotary committee leader. “We believe Rotarians can be effective in supporting the distribution of gun locks and gun safety information as an act of service to our communities.”
For example, Plaza Rotary has hosted three annual fundraising events with Grandparents for Gun Safety and raised more than $10,000 to purchase gun locks. The locks are jointly donated to Swope Health for free distribution to patients during pediatric discussions about child safety.
Children living in homes with firearms are several times more likely to die by suicide and unintentional firearm injury, compared with those in homes without guns. The risk can be lowered by locking and unloading all firearms in the home, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The JAMA study estimated that 32 million children live in homes with firearms; nearly 7 million live in a home with at least one firearm that is loaded and unlocked.
“An average of 700 Missourians were lost to gun suicide in each of the last few years,” Gremaud said. “We recognize the suffering caused by gun violence and we want to take action that shows we care, deeply, about the safety and wellbeing of our neighbors.”
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For more information:
Grandparents for Gun Safety is a non-profit organization founded in 2013 with efforts focused on advocacy, education, and distribution of gun locks.
Rotary District 6040 represents the Rotary clubs of northern Missouri. Jodi Sundaram serves as District Governor.
Contacts:
Rotarians for Gun Safety, Janet Gremaud, jggremaud@gmail.com
Grandparents for Gun Safety, Rachel Casey, ed@grandparentsforgunsafety.org
