Editor’s Note: This article contains reference to gun violence.

After a shooting on nearby UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus Aug. 28, NC State student Amelia Wilmoth was compelled to take action. The day of the shooting, she started a Students Demand Action chapter at NC State. 

Students Demand Action is a coalition of student activists pushing for gun control legislation across the country. Members lead protests, voter registration drives and endorse “gun sense candidates” on all levels of government. 

Wilmoth, a third-year studying history, said the proximity of the UNC shooting was her primary motivation for starting the chapter.

“I have a bunch of friends who go [to UNC] who were in the building where this was all unfolding,” Wilmoth said. “It really hit me hard. For years I’ve been saying ‘Enough is enough. We need to do something.’ But when it affected me personally, I just couldn’t do it anymore, and I knew something had to change. We need to work on having universal background checks, minimum age restrictions and open carry regulations.”

Members of NC State’s Students Demand Action chapter will protest in collaboration with March for Our Lives at the North Carolina General Assembly and encourage activism.

“We’re passing out flyers letting people know it’s time to register to vote,” Wilmoth said. “We’ll be going to the Capitol and talking with our representatives in the North Carolina government. We’ll be doing projects with UNC’s chapter.”

Steven Greene, a professor of political science, said although changes to gun control laws are unlikely in the current political climate, organizations such as Students Demand Action can still make a difference.

“The truth is, right now, people who are in favor of gun rights have the upper hand politically,” Greene said. “People who favor more permissive gun laws tend to have more intensity. An intense minority trumps an apathetic majority every time. It needs people being organized on the issue and having organizations that have the same level of intensity that the NRA does.”

Greene said he believes being involved in these groups is a vital way for students to voice their opinions and enact legislative change.

“I think it is reasonably likely to see stricter gun laws in my lifetime, and it’s going to be because of the youth of today,” Greene said. “The reality of gun laws in this country and the unique role of guns in our culture means it’s going to be a long, hard effort to make meaningful change. But nothing changes when people are just like ‘I give up’ or ‘Oh, it’s just too hard.’ It’s an important step to have an increasing number of young people taking these steps.”

Greene said organizations like Students Demand Action can help drive change.

“If gun laws are going to change, it needs people feeling strongly on the issue,” Greene said.

For more information on Students Demand Action, visit its website. Follow the NC State chapter on Instagram @studentsdemandncsu.