In case you weren’t aware, Academic Magnet has our own chapter of Students Demand Action and we need members! If you are passionate about fighting against gun violence, consider getting involved in our local community and keep reading to find out more about us. 

What is Students Demand Action/Who are we?

Students Demand Action is a group of high school/college students around the USA who are fighting for a future without gun violence. Launched as a pilot program in 2016, it became a national initiative just 2-weeks after the horrible 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Now, there are over 500 groups across the nation and leaders in every state. The AMHS Students Demand Action club is one of these many groups that aim to end the gun violence crisis in America. 

Our main goal as young activists is to put an end to gun violence in America. Our approach includes:

• Advocate for common-sense gun safety laws.
• Elect Gun Sense Candidates at local, state, and national levels.
• Educate our peers and communities on gun safety issues and solutions.
• Register new voters and mobilize our peers.
• End gun violence.

There’s only so much that “thoughts and prayers” can do. Students Demand Action focuses on enacting real change through direct action. 

More information about Students Demand Action and its mission can be found on this website-

https://studentsdemandaction.org/about/

What do we do?

Since the start of the club in August of 2022, the AMHS sector of Students Demand Action has already led various initiatives. Working with a community organization called Survivor Smiles, we led a drive to gather various self-care items (face masks, snacks, blankets, etc.) for survivors of gun violence. In December, we led a similar initiative specific to AMHS alumni. We built care packages for Magnet alumni who were survivors of the University of Virginia mass shooting in 2022. Unfortunately, due to the prevalence of gun violence throughout America, most people know of at least one survivor of gun violence, and we aim to help these survivors. However, we fight for a future free of gun violence. This February, we are leading a one-week awareness campaign in the breezeway where we are encouraging students to sign petitions and learn about gun safety. 

Each month, we have a theme that we plan around, but the more members who join the more effective our campaigns can be! We are planning initiatives around domestic violence and suicide in the next few months. 

Why does it matter?

In the last issue of the Talon, an article discussed the gun violence epidemic in America. To add to this article, here are some more facts about why fighting for a gun-violence-free future matters immensely. 

• Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens(ages 1-19), according to the CDC
• Gun violence kills more than 40,000 Americans every year
• Gun access triples the risk of suicide, accounting for 59% of suicides. 
• Gun violence disproportionately affects underserved Black communities in the United States. 
• Domestic violence victims are 5x more likely to be killed by their abuser if they have access to a gun. 
• Women in America are 21 times more likely to be killed by a gun than women in other high-income countries. 
• 3 million children are exposed to gun violence each year. 
• South Carolina has 964 gun deaths each year and has the 10th highest gun death rate. 

• As displayed in this Pew Research Center chart to the left, active shooter incidents have increased significantly 

Advocating for the eradication of gun violence in America is an urgent cause that we need to fight for. We can no longer accept the “thoughts and prayers” politicians offer instead of real action. And to all the seniors, just because you are in college doesn’t mean you can stop caring about important issues just because you can’t put it on your college application. SDA has big plans in the coming months and we need members to make them successful.