ABOUT US
We are Nate Zia and Andrew Leopold, 11th graders who attend Georgetown Day School in Washington DC.
As native residents of DC and current high school students in Ward 3, we are committed to gun violence prevention. We first began our mission one year ago when we started a club at our school (Students Against Gun Violence). We realized that the youth in our community do not always recognize how prevalent gun violence is in DC because it is not seen as often in our neighborhoods. However, DC has the highest rate of mass shootings (defined by four or more victims), per capita in the country with almost 14 per 100,000 people. In 2023, there were 254 homicides by guns in DC, nineteen of those victims were under the age of 18. The rate of gun violence in DC has increased by 80% in the past 5 years.
No other groups, let alone ones led by youth, are working to bring Ward 3 youth into the conversation about gun violence in DC. By having young people lead and participate in conversations, we can give our generation a platform to take action in our community.
Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and adolescents. Washington DC has a tragic gun violence problem whether we are exposed to it directly or not. Awareness built through conversations and education, inside and outside of school, is the first step in addressing it.
As native residents of DC and current high school students in Ward 3, we are committed to gun violence prevention. We first began our mission one year ago when we started a club at our school (Students Against Gun Violence). We realized that the youth in our community do not always recognize how prevalent gun violence is in DC because it is not seen as often in our neighborhoods. However, DC has the highest rate of mass shootings (defined by four or more victims), per capita in the country with almost 14 per 100,000 people. In 2023, there were 254 homicides by guns in DC, nineteen of those victims were under the age of 18. The rate of gun violence in DC has increased by 80% in the past 5 years.
No other groups, let alone ones led by youth, are working to bring Ward 3 youth into the conversation about gun violence in DC. By having young people lead and participate in conversations, we can give our generation a platform to take action in our community.
Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and adolescents. Washington DC has a tragic gun violence problem whether we are exposed to it directly or not. Awareness built through conversations and education, inside and outside of school, is the first step in addressing it.
