Holly Meyer

USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

Sections of Nashville's skyline, including the Tennessee State Capitol and the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge, will glow orange Thursday to raise awareness about gun violence as a part of a national Wear Orange campaign.

Thursday is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and it comes almost a week after a Nashville teen was fatally shot Friday in what Metro police are calling a drug deal gone bad. Ladarrius Gentry, 14, is the city's youngest homicide victim of 2016, and it's the latest in a series of violent incidents involving youth that have prompted Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and other city leaders to call for more to be done to reduce the violence.

"Gun violence tears apart lives, families, neighborhoods and communities. We are taking steps as a city to address the root causes of youth violence through access to jobs and opportunity, but we can’t ignore the large role illegal firearms play in homicides — the murder of a 14-year-(old) being the most recent example," Barry said in a prepared statement. "We need to elevate the conversation about gun violence to a level that demands the attention of state and federal lawmakers to take actions to stem the flow of illegal guns in our communities."

In addition to lighting up the bridge and the Historic Metro Courthouse, Barry also signed a proclamation declaring Thursday to be National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Family: 14-year-old shot to death 'had a big heart'

"Support for the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens goes hand-in-hand with keeping guns away from dangerous people," the proclamation states. "We renew our commitment to reduce gun violence and pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands, and encourage responsible gun ownership to help keep our children safe."

People are encouraged to wear orange Thursday if they want to honor the lives of those lost to gun violence and to show support for "common sense solutions that will save lives," the campaign's website states. It was inspired by the shooting death of a 15-year-old Chicago high school student and spearheaded by the Everytown for Gun Safety organization, which has been at odds with the National Rifle Association over gun laws in the past.

The Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is sending teams of people with mobile photo booths and orange props into Nashville neighborhoods, said Linda McFadyen-Ketchum, president of the Tennessee chapter. Team members will ask people to pose for photographs and post the photos to their social media accounts, and a team also has offered to meet with Gentry's family, she said.

The Rev. Enoch Fuzz, who is the pastor at Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church where Gentry and his family are members, has connected with the Tennessee chapter and is encouraging people to wear orange on Thursday, too.

"This is not just something that has impacted Ladarrius' family, but the whole city was hurt," Fuzz said.

Reach Holly Meyer at 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.