Pasadena Pairs Gun Violence Awareness Day With Free Locks, Memorial Banner

Any Pasadena resident can walk into the public health department or two branch libraries and walk out with a free gun lock, no questions asked and no identification required.

That program, launched seven months ago, is one element of the city’s expanding response to gun violence — and it anchors Pasadena’s observance of National Gun Violence Awareness Day on Friday, June 5. The Pasadena City Council declared the observance at its May 18 meeting, kicking off Wear Orange Weekend, which runs June 5 through 7. The proclamation, signed by Mayor Victor Gordo, is at least the ninth consecutive year the city has issued one.

This year, the city is adding a participatory element: a banner reading “Remembering Those Lost or Injured by Gun Violence” will be installed outside Robinson Park Recreation Center at 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave., where residents can write the names of loved ones lost to gun violence or honor survivors.

Free orange ribbons, stickers and informational pamphlets will be distributed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at three locations: Jackie Robinson Community Center at 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Robinson Park Recreation Center at 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave. and Villa Parke Community Center at 363 E. Villa St. Pasadena police officers and city employees will wear orange ribbons Friday and throughout the weekend, according to a city press release.

At the May 18 council meeting, Deputy Chief of Police Arthur Chute said the department seized or collected 297 firearms in 2025. Chute also said the Pasadena Public Health Department had distributed 45 gun locks since the free program launched in November 2025.

“Gunlocks are a preventable measure offering a safe way to store firearms at home,” Chute said, according to a Pasadena Now report from the meeting.

The gun lock program is a collaboration between the Pasadena Public Health Department, the Los Angeles County Office of Violence Prevention and the Pasadena Public Library. Locks are available year-round at three locations: the Pasadena Public Health Department at 1845 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the Hastings Branch Library at 3325 E. Orange Grove Blvd., Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.; and the Villa Parke Branch Library at 363 E. Villa St., Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Senior pastor Kerwin Manning of Pasadena Church accepted the proclamation at the May 18 meeting. Manning, who said he had spent 25 years serving the Pasadena community, described his work as “this ministry of presence” and thanked the city for efforts to promote what he called “a safe and sustainable and peaceful Pasadena.”

“God bless you,” Manning said. “We are praying for you and we’re praying for our community.”

The national observance honors Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old who was shot and killed in Chicago on January 29, 2013, about a week after performing at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, according to the city’s press release. Hadiya’s friends began wearing orange in her memory the color hunters wear to protect themselves and the movement grew into a national campaign. The Wear Orange movement originated on June 2, 2015, what would have been Hadiya’s 18th birthday. This year marks the 12th National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

The city encourages residents to wear orange June 5 through 7 and share photos on social media using the hashtag #WearOrange. Gordo, during the council meeting, urged responsible firearm ownership and said residents with unregistered weapons should turn them in to the Pasadena Police Department.