A Brief History of the Pledge

October 17th, 2012 - The next Day of National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence. Mark your calendar and make this a meaningful day in your community.

October 17, 2000- The Day of National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence. Over 2.4 Million students reported signing the pledge.

October 21, 1999- As part of the fourth annual Day of National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence, over TWO MILLION students sign the Student Pledge. Communities across the country plan activities to promote the Pledge and to reduce gun violence.

October 8, 1998- After another year of increasing awareness of issues surrounding young people and gun violence, over ONE MILLION students signed the pledge on the 1998 Day of National Concern.

November 6, 1997- President Clinton issues a Presidential Proclamation calling for November 6th to be observed a Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence. The Day itself is a great success. For information about the actual day, see the Post-Day of National Concern Press-release.

August, 1997-Organizers move the 1997 Day of Concern about Young People and Gun Violence to November 6, 1997

October 9, 1996--President Bill Clinton issues a Presidential Proclamation calling for October 10, 1996 to be observed as a Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence and urging national distribution of the Student Pledge against Gun Violence.

August 23, 1996--Senator Bill Bradley holds a press conference at a New Jersey Hospital discussing the topic of youth-on-youth gun violence and makes the first large scale public announcement of the Student Pledge against Gun Violence. Read the press clipping.

August 2, 1996-- Senate Resolution 282 is passed by unanimous consent in the Senate. The resolution officially named October 10, 1996 as the "Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence" and calls for national distribution of the Student Pledge against Gun Violence. Senator Bill Bradley, D-NJ and 83 other Senators signed on as sponsors of the resolution.

August 1, 1996-- A World Wide Web page is launched detailing the Student Pledge ad the Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence. Using the World Wide Web, people can get information, press releases, and more about the Student Pledge. Anyone who wishes can download a copy of the pledge from this site.

July 7, 1996-- Senators Bill Bradley of New Jersey, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Paul Wellstone of Minnesota and 81 of their Senate colleagues introduce a resolution calling for a Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence on October 10, 1996.