Gov. Kathy Hochul has designated June as Gun Violence Awareness Month in New York state.

The month honors survivors of gun violence, remembers those whose lives were taken and pushes collaboration on ways to reduce gun violence.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been nearly 18,000 gun-related deaths in the U.S. so far this year, including suicides and 268 mass shootings of four or more victims.

"Every instance of gun violence ricochets beyond the intended target, inflicting pain and trauma on victims, friends, families, neighbors, bystanders, and entire communities," Hochul said in a statement. "I am proud to designate June as Gun Violence Awareness Month in New York as we continue working to provide our law enforcement partners with tools they need to get guns off the streets and keep our communities safe."

"In New York, we're taking direct action to get guns off of our streets and build safer neighborhoods across the state," Lt. Governor Delgado said in a statement. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and members of the community to find meaningful ways to address the gun violence epidemic and move our state forward." 

State landmarks were lit orange Friday night to mark the proclamation.