LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — An Oregon student is part of the newly announced national advisory board for Students Demand Action, taking on the issue of gun violence.
Students Demand Action is a youth-founded organization that advocates for gun safety measures nationwide.
Flynn Williams, a senior at Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, is one of the 20 students on the 2021-2022 national advisory board.
"Young people have witnessed the impact of the gun violence crisis in our schools and communities, and we refuse to back down,” Williams said in a news release.
Williams helps run a local chapter of Students Demand Action at Lakeridge High School.
"We're a bipartisan organization. We have gun owners. We have Republicans. It's not just a liberal, non-gun-owning movement," Williams explained in an interview with KGW. "We're not trying to take guns away from law-abiding citizens ... Our intention is to keep communities safe."
So far, Williams has joined efforts to raise awareness of marginalized communities disproportionately impacted by gun violence, including LGBTQ+ people and people of color.
Suicide prevention and reducing gun access to suicidal people is another priority.
Williams said the group also advocated for Oregon Senate Bill 554, which requires stricter gun storage and safety measures. It also allows public entities, buildings and school districts to ban people from carrying guns on those properties.
Some opponents, such as Phil Grammatica with the Medford Rifle & Pistol Club, filed opposition to that bill, saying it restricts people's ability to lawfully protect themselves.