HOLLAND, Mich. — At 17, Hailey Huggett should be worried about getting to class on time. Instead, she's worried about what might stop her.
"I've talked with my friends before about actually facing that reality of thinking, you know, today could be the very last time that I ever hugged my mom goodbye," Huggett said.
The now-junior at Holland High School joined the push for more legislation preventing gun violence years ago as a freshman.
"I became an advocate, largely because I'm sick and tired of being afraid of being murdered at school," Huggett said. "I refuse to have this be my reality."
13 ON YOUR SIDE spoke with Huggett after she joined an online news conference, where advocates across the state announced gun violence prevention events.
This is all a part of "Silence the Violence Month of Action," hosted by End Gun Violence MI. Though the movement started in the state 17 years ago in Detroit, advocates said this is the first year they've seen any real progress.
New state gun laws went into effect in February, including safe storage, background checks and red flag laws.
"We are not there yet. We have passed important new laws in Lansing," said Rev. Chris Yaw. "Now, we need to ensure that there are measures being taken that are saving lives in our community through implementation."
Yaw is taking part in some of that implementation himself, leading gun buybacks at his church in Southfield and working with MSP to make sure those guns are destroyed properly.
There will be 30 events across 24 locations in the state for Silence the Violence Month, including two in Holland, both of which Huggett is helping out with.
"There's nothing like sitting in a classroom and hearing your friends say, 'Yeah, if there was a shooting, I'd probably die,'" Huggett said.
You can find a full list of Silence the Violence Month of Action events here.
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