Philadelphia native, college student takes stand against gun violence with help of national organizations
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- More than ever students in our area are feeling the need to stand up to gun violence and get their voices heard. They're demanding action. CBS3 spoke with one student who is taking that stand and speaking up with thousands of others across the country.
"I went to school and grew up right around Roxborough," Avery Hamel said.
Hamel is a Philly native and is now a freshman at the University of Vermont.
When Hamel heard the news of the Roxborough shooting, he became worried about his family.
"I thought about my little brother," Hamel said. "He likes to go out on evening bike rides."
Luckily, his brother was fine.
But Hamel is also worried about gun violence. He's a member of "Students Demand Action," a national organization.
"We work all across the country to suggest solutions and work together to end gun violence, calling people and turning out to vote, showing up and supporting survivors," Hamel said. "We have a great survivor network where we provide free therapy and workshops."
On their website, they offer ways to get involved on a high school, college and community level. They're part of a larger group called "Everytown," which is the largest gun violence prevention group in America, and "Moms Demand Action."
The organizations have a wide net of resources and information about how to get involved.
"We're kind of on our own here to hold each other together," Hamel said. "There's so many students that are scared out of their minds that they feel like we need to stand up and be the change we want to see in the world because we don't have an option to stand on the sidelines."
If you're looking to get involved right now with Students Demand Action you can text "students" to 64433 or if you're not a student you can text "ready" to 64433 for more information.
For a list of gun violence resources in Philadelphia, click here.