CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The east Raleigh shooting hit close to home for UNC-Chapel Hill students, who rallied on campus last week to protest gun violence.
Weeks before the attack on Oct. 13 in east Raleigh, students at UNC-Chapel Hill with March For Our Lives were already organizing a rally against gun violence, focusing on getting students registered to vote and connected with their representatives.
Luke Diasio, vice president for the campus chapter, said the gun violence just miles away gave their cause a newfound purpose and sense of urgency.
“The significance of gun violence in America cannot be overstated,” Diasio said. “We have more guns than we have people in America, so it makes sense that we're constantly walking around fearing guns. Unless we begin to address that root cause, that's not going to go away.”
March For Our Lives is a student-led organization that started after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Diasio's cousin was in school just down the street at the time of the attack. He said it's because of her experience that he got involved with efforts to end gun violence.
“Gun violence is the second leading cause of death for young people and the No. 1 cause of death for young men,” Diasio said. “I think all of us grew up in the age of school shooting drills, and we all understand and try to cope with that collective trauma of knowing that any day it could be us.”
He and chapter president Megan Chen handed out fliers on campus all week leading up to the protest. Chen said the mass shooting in Raleigh demonstrates a need for change.
“Students I think are really interested when it hits them and when it affects their communities and their identities,” Chen said. “We should not be afraid to go to school, we should not be afraid to go out on Franklin Street and hang out with our friends because of gun violence.”
They held their demonstration 24 hours after the shooting in Raleigh that left five dead and two wounded. Members of UNC's chapter of March For Our Lives spoke at the demonstration, stressing the importance of bringing an end to gun violence in America by enacting stricter gun laws.
“A lot of people pay attention to gun violence by looking at the mortality statistics, but we need to start looking at the impact beyond that,” Diasio said. “You may not have been killed in a school shooting, but if you lived through one, the mental health toll that will take on you will extend throughout your entire life.”