Los Angeles:
Anne Hathaway, Jeff Bridges, Amy Schumer and Mark Hamill were among several Hollywood celebrities who wore orange clothing to voice their protest against gun violence in the country.
The stars took to social media using hashtag #WearOrange in support on National Gun Violence Awareness Day, a campaign by Everytown for Gun Safety with orange as the movement's colour.
The movement is being observed in the US since 2015. Hathaway, who was enroute, shared a selfie on Instagram and scribbled her shirt in orange to show solidarity for the cause.
The Oscar winner demanded for "peace" and "policy change" in gun control laws. "I am traveling and don't have anything orange to wear but I still wanted to be a part of today. Today I #wearorange to remember all those who have died, especially in schools, churches and movie theatres - spaces in which I grew up feeling safe but where the current generation cannot.
"I wear orange because, as per @newsweek, more children have been killed by guns since Sandy Hook than U.S. soldiers in combat since 9/11... I also want to thank all the responsible gun owners who do not feel threatened by the call for common sense gun laws. We need your voices more than ever (sic)," she wrote alongside her photograph.
Hathaway also acknowledged Hollywood's role in "the glamorisation of guns" - that she is dealing with the fact and recognising the issue can bring a change from within.
Bridges took to Twitter and uploaded a selfie wearing orange. "Today I #WearOrange to support National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Let us all honor victims of gun violence and stand in solidarity with survivors. Text ORANGE to 644-33 to find a Wear Orange Weekend event near you (sic)," the veteran actor wrote. Schumer, who turned 37 on June 1, urged people to wear orange to show support "as a sign to end gun violence".
"Hi! Tomorrow is my b'day. If you want to say happy birthday to me. Please do it by joining me for #wearorange day tomorrow. As a sign to end gun violence. Everytown.org can help," she wrote alongside her black-and-white photo on Instagram in which she can be seen kayaking.
"Star Wars" alum Mark Hamill tweeted, "Let's all #WearOrange for #NationalGunViolenceAwarenessDay honoring the 96 Americans killed every day with a gun and the 100's more injured."
Julianne Moore said she chose to wear orange as she wants to call out "government inaction" in dealing with gun violence rife in the country. "I #WearOrange because I believe that every American has the responsibility to change our culture and work to end gun violence. I wear orange to honour the lives that have been senselessly lost and to call attention to government inaction," she wrote on the microblogging site.
Elizabeth Banks tweeted, "Tomorrow I'm wearing orange because I am a mom and want safety for the kids in our country. Let's give a voice to those who are impacted by gun violence every day. #wearorange @everytown @momsdemand."
Rock band Pearl Jam also took to Twitter and pitched in by sharing a photo of the Wrigley Field arena lit in orange. The picture was captioned: "Honoring the more than 90 lives cut short and hundreds more injured by guns every day. @momsdemand #wearorange #ENDGUNVIOLENCE."
"Charmed" alum and activist Alyssa Milano carried the torch for African Americans, who are often the targets of gun violence due to deep-rooted stereotypes. "This is Xavier Monroe. He was shot and killed while hanging out at a bar with his friends. Black men like Xavier are 13 times more likely than white men to be shot and killed with guns. I #WearOrange for Black men in America who have to live with the threat of gun violence. #NoRA," the actor wrote alongside sharing Monroe's photo.
Actor-comic Billy Eichner tweeted, "Today I #wearorange because I'm not an irrational, fake-patriotic lunatic who values owning assault weapons over the health, sanity and safety of innocent children and adults getting massacred on a weekly basis in ways that occur in no other country on the planet."
Bryce Dallas Howard, Micheal J Fox, Don Cheadle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Angela Bassett, Kate Walsh and Mayim Bialik also took to social media to spread awareness about gun violence. Everytown for Gun Safety also created anti-gun violence pins for the 2018 Oscars in the wake of Florida high school shooting that claimed 17 lives in February.
