Empire State Building lit orange for gun violence awareness following mass shootings

The Empire State Building in New York was lit orange Monday night to highlight gun control awareness in the wake of two mass shootings over the weekend that claimed more than 30 lives.

The city of New York lit the building’s spire with the color orange after more than 30 were killed in shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.

{mosads}The color orange has become synonymous with gun control awareness and reform as part of the “Wear Orange” movement that came about following a Chicago teen’s shooting death shortly after she performed at former President Obama’s second inaugural parade in 2013. 

Empire State Building lit orange to increase gun violence awareness after two mass shootings.

Orange became a symbol for awareness when worn to honor Hadiya Pendleton, 15, shot and killed in 2013 after performing at Pres. Obama’s second inaugural parade. https://t.co/9WkkUplYhR pic.twitter.com/A1qxiZHP6o

— ABC News (@ABC) August 6, 2019

Obama later posted on Twitter that he was wearing orange as an act solidarity with shooting victims, and several other notable politicians and celebrities later followed suit.

The Empire State Building previously went orange for a night in June to commemorate National Gun Violence Awareness Day. The iconic New York building has also gone dark for past mass shootings, most recently the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle Tuesday were increasing calls for gun control legislation following the two mass shootings that took place within hours of each other.