Saturday [June 3] was National Gun Violence Awareness Day. I am the guy who was wearing the “Wear Orange” t-shirt and passing out flowers to those who were walking into the Community Center on Saturday morning. The community center was also the venue of a weekend gun show, which was promoted with prominent roadside signs and “free admission for children under 12.”

Orange is the color commonly used by hunters to signal “don’t shoot” and has also been adopted by Everytown For Gun Safety for this annual commemoration. On average in the US, 93 people lose their lives every day by gun use. Twice that are injured. Suicide is usually the motive, followed by homicide, but the daily statistic includes careless accidents, too.

Seven children die daily. This weekend I read about the high school graduate in Kentucky who, when showing off his graduation present, accidently killed his 19-year-old girlfriend.

Fountain Hills is no stranger to gun violence. An AK-47 shooting spree and then a separate drive-by shooting both occurred here just a year ago. A murder-suicide happened before that. A gun was stolen from a car shortly after. Car and home windows have been shot by mystery bullets.

Still, we host a gun show, exempted from background checks, with sign-emblazoned “private” sellers roaming the parking lot. I know, state law says we must allow it. Thank you, fearless leaders (some of you Fountain Hills residents), for holding our town hostage.

This is why I passed out flowers.

I must say that the reception I had from the Community Center personnel, the MCSO and most patrons there was at least tolerant. In fact, it was often surprisingly gracious, polite and encouraging.