Team,

Just one week after marching in President Obama's 2013 inaugural parade, Hadiya Pendleton's life was cut short when she was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago.

To honor her memory, Hadiya's friends started wearing orange – the color hunters wear for safety. Now thousands of Americans join them every June, wearing orange to remember Hadiya and the over 43,000 Americans killed by gun violence each year as well as the 76,000 who are shot and wounded.

Chris has always rejected the idea that we are powerless against gun violence. That's why he has proudly helped pass bipartisan legislation to stop gun violence — including the first significant gun safety legislation passed by Congress in nearly 30 years.

But too often extreme Republicans have halted commonsense, gun safety legislation. Team: The time for Congress to act is NOW, and we need to take back the Democratic House Majority so Chris can keep pushing to make our communities safer.

This Wear Orange day will you join Chris in demanding Congress address the gun violence crisis with comprehensive solutions? We can't afford to wait to protect our children, teachers, and communities from preventable gun violence.

Thank you,

Team Pappas