National Cathedral lights up orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day

Washington National Cathedral donned orange on Friday night to mark National Gun Violence Awareness Day. The west front of the Cathedral was lit up in orange light starting at 8 pm, and it would stay that way until midnight.

The building also tolled the bourdon bell, which is known as the Cathedral's mourning bell, 93 times at 9 pm, in honor of the average number of Americans killed by guns every day. In the past, the bell has been used to honor the victims of September 11, the Charleston church massacre and the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.

The event, which is supported by the Cathedral's Gun Violence Prevention Group and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, is the Cathedral's effort to help turn America orange as part of Everytown for Gun Safety's Wear Orange Campaign. Organizers say orange is "a color that demands to be seen."

The Cathedral has worked for years with partners in an effort to end gun violence, which claims more than 33,000 American lives each year. For more information on their gun violence prevention work, click here.