DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Some Apalachee High School students were a part of demonstrations Friday, calling for stricter gun laws.
The rallies happened as hundreds of students across Georgia staged walkouts in protests.
“I stand before you because I want to fight and I want you to fight with me,” said Apalachee High school graduate, Samantha Hoff at the rally on Friday.
The group, which included members of the organization March for Our Lives, demanded tougher gun laws and safer schools.
“Substantial, preventive measures need to take place, so we don’t only feel safe, but be safe,” Apalachee High School student Sasha Contreras told the crowd.
Sasha Contreras said she took cover inside a classroom when the accused shooter opened fire at Apalachee High two weeks ago.
“I not only had friends in the hallway of the incident, but I also knew one of the victims that passed away,” Contreras recalled.
Contreras said she now fears a return to class if there are no gun control changes. She said her and fellow students have “anxiety about returning with no preventive measures in place.”
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Shortly after the school shooting Governor Brian Kemp and other elected leaders called for prayers and more school security.
But activists said they want Kemp and the legislature to pass the pediatric health safe storage act.
The bill aims to make it a crime to leave a gun accessible to a child in Georgia.
“We want to make sure kids don’t get their hands on guns that their parents might own,” High School Student Saif Hasan told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington.
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