A chapter for Students Demand Action, which advocates against gun violence and in favor of stricter gun laws, has been established at LSU, according to psychology senior Elizabeth Laurent, the organization’s president.
It will be the first such chapter in Louisiana, a part of a larger network advocating for gun control called Everytown for Gun Safety.
“It’s a nonprofit volunteer organization basically advocating for gun safety and against gun violence. Better gun legislation, all of that,” Laurent said.
Laurent said the group will advocate for stricter gun laws and will push politicians to enact them.
According to their website, the group was founded in 2016 as a pilot program, but in 2018, within two weeks of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the group was launched as a national initiative. According to their website, they have 500 groups across the country with volunteers in every state.
Laurent’s interest in starting a chapter at LSU began after the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers were killed. Although Louisiana hasn’t had as many mass shootings, she said that she wants to work to keep it that way, while working to curb other gun violence issues the state has.
Animal science junior Brennan Naquin, communications lead for Students Demand Action, said he is passionate about the group because of all of the shootings he’s heard about around LSU’s campus, including the death of LSU student Allison Rice on Sept. 16.
He added that many of LSU’s police officers have been personally affected by gun violence.
“It’s just a scary reality to live with,” Naquin said.
He said Students Demand Action will eventually be tabling in Free Speech Alley and holding meetings to discuss gun violence issues. They will also be raising money to put towards gun violence issues.
According to Naquin, the larger Students Demand Action organization is providing LSU’s chapter with funding to get their group off the ground.
Naquin said that although the group will address national issues involving gun violence, its main focus will be addressing more local gun violence issues. Naquin said they are focusing on getting the group started currently but will become more active next semester, adding that students can still join the group in its early stages.
“Considering we are the only [Students Demand Action] chapter in Louisiana, one of our big focuses is tackling gun violence in Louisiana since it’s such a huge issue,” Naquin said.
According to Naquin, Students Deserve Action doesn’t want to ban guns outright, instead advocating for stricter regulations to be put into place that would keep dangerous people from acquiring weapons.
Interdisciplinary studies junior Savannah Harrison, the president of LSU’s chapter of Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization, said she is opposed to stricter gun control, adding that Louisiana’s gun laws are too strict.
Harrison said she would like Louisiana to be a constitutional carry state, meaning citizens can carry a firearm without obtaining a permit. She said people have a constitutional right to possess a firearm, so they shouldn’t have to obtain a permit, adding that she feels permit laws largely affect law-abiding citizens.
“I’m pretty discontent with the idea of pushing stricter gun laws in Louisiana,” Harrison said.
