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We are young activists committed to ending gun violence. We are Students Demand Action.
When lawmakers offered thoughts and prayers but little meaningful action after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, high school and college students across the country came together to make our voices heard. Students Demand Action started in 2016 as a pilot program and, with a sense of urgency, we launched it as a national initiative within two weeks of the Parkland shooting. Because what could be more urgent than fixing the errors in our system that have cost so many young people their lives? Students Demand Action now has more than 600 groups across the country and active volunteers in every state and D.C.
Our Approach
Gun violence is the leading cause of death for young people in the U.S. We are building a movement to:
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![Marco speaks at the podium at the SCOTUS rally in 2019]()
Advocate for common-sense gun safety laws.
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![Three Students Demand Action volunteers smile while talking to Elizabeth Warren at the Presidential Gun Sense Forum in Iowa in 2019]()
Elect Gun Sense Candidates at local, state, and national levels.
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![A person reads a report on the impact of gun violence on American children and teenagers]()
Educate our peers and communities on gun safety issues and solutions.
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![A group of more than 20 volunteers wearing Students Demand Action shirts smile together while holding up a large sign that says VOTE]()
Register new voters and mobilize our peers.
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![Seo Yoon Yang speaks in a microphone at an event.]()
End gun violence.
What We Do
We deserve better, and we're turning our outrage into action.
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Supporting and educating
- Spreading awareness among our peers
- Uplifting voices of gun violence survivors
- Influencing on social media
- Building leadership skills
- Educating around gun safety issues and solutions
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Taking action
- Electing Gun Sense Candidates
- Registering our peers to vote
- Phonebanking, texting, and canvassing
- Meeting with elected officials
- Demanding accountability
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Building a movement
- Grassroots organizing in every state
- Mobilizing our peers to join the movement
- Refusing to accept things as they are
- Making our voices and stories heard
- Demanding real change because our lives depend on it
Who We Are
We've grown up in the midst of this gun violence crisis, and we can end it. Meet some of our leadership.
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![Peren smiles with a Gun Sense University program at the volunteer conference in 2020]()
Peren Tiemann, Lake Oswego, OR (she/they)
"Gun violence prevention is important to me because a person’s identity and our moments of personal crisis should not mean the difference between life and death."
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![LaTayla Billingslea sits on a set of stairs next to a Moms Demand Action volunteer. LaTayla wears a Students Demand Action shirt and a blazer over it.]()
LaTayla Billingslea, Covington, GA (she/her)
"What motivates me to keep going are the generations to come and how I don’t want them to feel the same fear and disappointment that I feel right now."
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![Zakaria speaks at the podium at a Students Demand Action event]()
Zack Maaieh, Toledo, OH (he/him)
"I am so proud that our volunteers are able to connect from every part of the country to support each other and our work."
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![A Students Demand Action volunteers speaks in the microphone at an event]()
Seo yoon Yang, Chattanooga, TN (she/her)
"The goal of gun violence prevention is simple: save lives. And honestly that is a goal that I hope everyone in this country would work towards."
Our Impact
Ultimately, our movement exists to end gun violence and save lives.
Together with Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, we’ve advocated for the defeat of dangerous gun bills in the 2021 legislative sessions in Indiana, Maryland, and Wyoming. We campaigned during the 2020 election for state and national candidates who are now shaping gun safety policy. We helped to register 100,000 new voters. But there is still so much more to do. Will you join us?
Join Us