Dozens wore orange to raise awareness of gun violence in the U.S.

IOWA CITY - The Ped Mall, as well as social media, was teeming with orange all in the name of a single cause on Thursday.

Dozens gathered between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. to participate in the Wear Orange Campaign event in Iowa City for the National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which takes place annually on June 2.

The event was organized by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an activist group that calls for sensible gun legislation. Iowa City's event did not serve as a protest or a rally, but rather a way to spread awareness about the issue of gun violence in the U.S.

'We just want to raise awareness on the horrible problem of gun violence,” said Rebecca Truszkowski, lead for the Iowa City/Coralville chapter of Moms Demand Action.

The Wear Orange Campaign began in 2013 when students in a south side Chicago high school asked their classmates to wear orange in honor of a fellow student, Hadiya Pendleton, who had been shot and killed. June 2 is Pendleton's birthday.

The group chose orange to resemble the color hunters where in order to protect themselves and others.

This is the second annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Last year, for the local Moms Demand Action chapter, five moms with the group had lunch together, Truszkowski said. This year, about 60 people gathered throughout the event.

Some individuals who are not a part of Moms Demand Action arrived to show their support for the movement, including Nora Boerner.

Boerner, now a 36-year-old Iowa City resident, said she grew up in a rough neighborhood in north Minneapolis during the 1980s.

'I could count seven crack houses from my front door,” she said.

She moved when she was about 8, and calls herself lucky for it. Boerner said there are those who can't leave the rough neighborhoods, and 'have no one to wear orange for them.”

'I'm here today for the kids in neighborhoods who can't get out,” Boerner said.

Officials in the cities ofIowa City and North Liberty, as well as Johnson County, have declared June 2 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Mayor of North Liberty Amy Nielsen's proclamation serves as her stance on the issue.

'I decided to declare June 2 Gun Violence Awareness Day because I feel strongly that gun violence is a real threat to public safety,” Nielsen said.

Nielsen said she believes federal officials have chosen not to address the issue. Her proclamation serves as a 'grassroots approach” to encouraging federal lawmakers to revist current policies.

Jim Throgmorton, mayor of Iowa City, as well as Johnson County supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass threw their support of the movement by also proclaiming June 2 as Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Iowa City Council member Pauline Taylor delivered short remarks for Throgmorton.

The event featured family-friendly aspects such as sidewalk chalk and orange balloons.

Since campaign is largely based online, participants were asked to post photos of themselves wearing orange on social media using #WearOrange. A photo booth was set up by event organizers to encourage event-goers to partake in the campaign online.

While the Ped Mall was buzzing with dozens of event-goers, events were taking place across the state in Des Moines, Ames and Ankeny. Events also took place across the country Thursday, organized by a coalition of over 300 organizations nationwide.

For more information on the Wear Orange Campaign, visit wearorange.org.