Leawood proclaims June Pride Month and designates June 6 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day

Mayor Mark Elkins read two proclamations at the start of the meeting: one recognizing June 2025 as Pride Month in Leawood and a second designating June 6, 2025, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the city.

The Pride Month proclamation noted the city's previous action in August 2019 to expand the city nondiscrimination ordinance to provide protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Mayor Elkins read the proclamation text and presented it to city staff present at the meeting.

For National Gun Violence Awareness Day, the proclamation cited national and state statistics included in the proclamation text: that "every day, 125 people in the United States are killed by gun violence," that Kansas experiences about "473 gun deaths every year" with a rate of "16.2 deaths per 100,000 people," and that the crisis imposes an economic cost the proclamation characterizes as "$5,700,000,000 each year, of which $95,100,000 is paid by taxpayers." The proclamation also said the city would illuminate a public art piece along Mission Road and Lee Boulevard with orange light on June 6.

Amy Lampeau, who identified herself as a Leawood resident and a volunteer with Moms Demand Action, accepted the gun-violence proclamation and thanked the city for the designation. "This year also marks 20 years since my younger sister Jenny was murdered," Lampeau said, urging residents to wear orange to honor victims and attend a wear-orange event she said would take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, at Harmon Park in Prairie Village.

The proclamations are ceremonial recognitions; no formal council vote was recorded for the proclamations beyond the mayor's presentation. Lampeau's remarks and the city's planned illumination and community event were offered as community outreach and public-safety awareness measures; the council did not adopt new ordinances or funding tied to these proclamations during the meeting.