Gun Violence Memorial Unveiled on National Mall (photos)


Rows of vases containing white and orange flowers, each representing lives cut short by gun violence in America every year, were placed on the lawn in the shadow of the Washington Monument.

For the second year, on Tuesday June 7, the nonprofit organization led by former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), a survivor of gun violence herself 11 years ago, came to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to set up the temporary memorial.

Last year’s display featured 40,000 white flowers representing the lives lost in 2019. This year’s rendition features an additional 5,000 orange flowers representing the increase in gun deaths in 2020.

The display coincides with congressional hearings on gun laws and a “March for Our Lives” demonstration scheduled for Saturday at the Washington Monument. It also comes in the wake of another string of mass shootings in America, including the mass killing of school children in Uvalde, Texas and of Black grocery store shoppers in Buffalo, New York. On the prior weekend alone, authorities responded to at least 10 mass shootings across the United States.

“Stopping gun violence takes courage, the courage to do what’s right,” Giffords said. “We must never stop fighting. Be bold. Be courageous. The nation is counting on you.”

The public can visit the memorial through Saturday, June 11.

View a slideshow of Jeff Malet’s photos of the temporary Gun Violence Memorial on the National Mall by clicking on the photo icons below.

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