Members of Students Demand Action (SDA), a pro gun control organization, discussed topics of gun violence, mental health, suicide, and the upcoming election with Senators and Representatives from the Colorado state government at an open-panel meeting on Monday in the Shillinglaw Auditorium.

For attendees, the importance of holding discussions with legislators lies in the interaction with young advocates and their government, in addition to how it’s the final step to creating change.

“[Legislation] is pretty much the most important part, other than education,” Denver South High School junior Celine Burrell said. “It sets standards for how everything works, and obviously firearms, but it’s a way to prevent more [guns] from being in circulation.”

Primarily organized by East High School juniors Norah Krause and Grant Cramer, the event focused heavily on the statistics of gun violence, as well as its impacts on students.

“This year alone, over 12,600 Americans have been shot and killed, and if the trend continues, an additional 30,054 Americans are expected to be killed by the end of the year,” Cramer said in his introductory speech. “The gun violence epidemic in America is inundating our cities with violence, painting our neighborhoods with blood and converting our schools into firing ranges.”

SDA members also stressed the importance of youth interaction with the government in order to create change, an idea that was shared by many legislators. “It’s a little bit different hearing it and seeing it face to face,” senior Ashley Lukach said. “It allows students a part where they can really stress what they care about, and it also maintains relationships between students and government officials.”

The meeting was attended by nine legislators from districts across Colorado, many of whom represented the districts that SDA member schools were from. Legislators, who were prompted by audience generated questions, spoke about how gun violence was a collective issue, and impacted topics like mental health, the economy, community and suicide.

Representative Jennifer Bacon (D-7) spoke to how a change in gun violence policy could lead to a reformed sense of community, especially during politically difficult moments.

“We cannot tolerate that people cannot feel [the effects of gun violence] anymore,” she said. “You have put on the table that we are desensitized as children, and so I’m actually looking forward to your generation to draw the line, because part of this is about a reclamation of our communities.”

Some legislators, like Senators Chris Kolker (D-16) and Tom Sullivan (D-27), took the conversation a more personal route, discussing their experiences with gun violence and mental health. Sullivan has dedicated his policy career to gun reform after the death of his son in the Aurora theater shooting in 2012.

“That’s the sole reason why I’m sitting in front of you today. That’s why I ran for office,” Sullivan said. “That’s why I have advocated for gun violence prevention legislation since the day I walked into the Capitol.”

Kolker discussed his sponsorship of Senate Bill 24-131, which prohibits carrying firearms in sensitive spaces, and how he found himself reflecting on his own mental health related to guns in the home.

“I took my dad’s gun from his gun cabinet,” Kolker said. “I tried to load it but I was in fourth grade, so I had a hard time. And I said this at the [legislative podium], because that night I put the gun back…[and] the next day, our gun cabinet was locked.”

In the same realm, the speakers also discussed possible legislation they’d want to introduce during the upcoming legislative session, which begins on Jan. 8, 2025. Representative Eliza Hamrick (D-61) discussed an idea to place a notice about secure gun storage in school registration papers, in order to remind parents of safe storage requirements.

“We have a good safe storage law in Colorado,” Hamrick said. “The parents need to know this exists, because it might make them think, ‘Oh, I really should lock up my gun.’”

For students, focusing on the upcoming election, at both the federal and state level was a key point to the evening. “Being here, you can pay attention to what’s going on in the world and what’s happening that could affect you,” Denver South senior Gabbi Goldperd said.

Legislators agreed, and discussed how upcoming issues on the Colorado ballot could tie into gun regulation. Representative Meg Froelich (D-3) sponsored Proposition KK, a ballot measure that would allow for a 6.5% excise tax on the net taxable sales of firearm dealers and manufacturers, and ammunition vendors to go towards mental health programs, veterans relief organizations, domestic violence assistance, and more.

Bacon similarly deliberated about the election, but at the federal level. Without naming specific candidates, she urged SDA members to vote if possible, and volunteer for campaigns up until Nov. 5.

“I really want you to think about how you can get involved,” she said. “It doesn’t take forever to do one shift, just two hours one day, to come and tell people that they do have a magic wand. It’s called a ballot.”

See more moments from the meeting below.

This story was originally published on Union Street Journal on October 23, 2024.