Young adults in Philly advocate for gun ownership education, even after experiencing tragedy

Gun violence in Philadelphia has become a national news story, but 22-year-old resident Isaiah Stanton knows about the gun crisis there firsthand.

Last year, he opened up the Citizen app, which provides location-based safety alerts, only to find out that his brother Ronald Wimberley, a jokester with a big personality and a bigger laugh, had been fatally shot.

Wimberely was 26 when he was killed in Philadelphia. His case remains unsolved and no arrests have been made. He had a daughter named Naomi, loved dirt bikes and enjoyed gardening.

“After his passing, it really inspired me just to go like 10 times harder,” Stanton said. “My brother, he’s watching me. He’s proud, you know, that I’m doing so good.”

As of Oct. 1, there were 841 shootings in Philadelphia this year alone, and 86% of fatal gun-related incidents involved men. More than half of the victims were under 30, and 80% of them were Black, according to the city controller.

But there’s a growing group of young people who say they believe harm reduction through proper firearm training can help reduce the amount of gun violence in the city.

In the aftermath, as he and his mother grieved Ronald, Stanton himself decided he needed to be armed, so he applied for a gun license and now has a firearm. After taking classes, Stanton said he heads to the shooting range at least once a month.

Stanton purchased a gun “just for my safety. Not only for me, but also for my family — you know, going about it in the right way, getting a license,” he said. “And also actually exercising my Second Amendment right.”

In August, he attended a workshop hosted by That Gun Talk, an organization started by Karise Crew and her husband, Jerel Crew.

The couple said their goal is not to end gun violence, but to equip members of their community who are affected by these tragedies with responsible gun ownership and de-escalation tools in hopes of reducing the amount of violence.

Karise Crew said the violence doesn’t just stem from firearms.

“We can say it’s gun violence, but we’re missing the point and we’re not having conversations and we’re not loving them and we’re not being there for them the way we should be as a humanity, as people,” Karise Crew said.

The workshop, hosted on a range about 90 miles outside the city, included an hourlong instructional course with interactive portions on proper gun locks and safes, safety gear and de-escalation tactics.

After the classroom time, the group of teens and young adults were taken to the range for supervised target practice.

Gun violence remains the leading cause of death for kids and teens in the U.S.

The Department of Justice has also crafted model legislation for states to pass stricter gun laws and background checks.

However, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions have found that increased education around firearm usage and storage can also reduce the number of suicides, thefts that contribute to the illegal gun market, and unintentional killings.

“Just because you own a firearm doesn’t mean that you take yourself to danger,” Jerel Crew said.

Although Philadelphia saw an overall decrease in homicides this year, down 40% compared to 2023, the Crews said there should be required education for those who have firearms.

“I believe that we can make a difference and we can make a change in the community by being educated,” he said. But he is also hesitant to declare that gun violence will or can end overnight. That’s why he says people will continue to be legally armed for responsible protection.

“Criminals will always have access to firearms,” he said. “If you get rid of your firearm, then God forbid, if you had to defend your life or your family, how would you be able to do that?”

On a legislative level, there are a few roadblocks to changing requirements for gun owners in the city.

“So in Pennsylvania, I like to describe it as the Wild West,” said Jeffery Young Jr., a member of the Philadelphia City Council who has been advocating for gun violence legislation and assisting families impacted by violence with additional funding and resources..

The council passed a law earlier this year banning bump stocks, which are accessories that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire more rapidly, like machine guns. That law came just days after the Supreme Court reversed a Trump-era law to federally ban bump stocks.

But an attorney in Pennsylvania is suing the city over the ban, saying that federal and state law supersedes city regulations.

Young also grew up in Philly, and he said the staggering statistics hit close to home.

“I lost my nephew to gun violence, two years ago now,” he said. His death “is still with me every day, because I know those things are preventable.”

As a member of the City Council, Young said he works to let community members know about programming, funding and resources available to them, while actively working to improve the city.

“Life is the most valuable thing that we have. And I think if we are able to teach gun safety and teach the value of what life is to children, then I think we can create an environment where folks are going to be less likely to pick that gun up in those sudden moments to resolve their conflicts,” Young said.

The relationship between gun violence and the Black community is troubled, with disproportionate numbers of police shootings and community shootings leaving lasting consequences around the country.

According to a new NBC News Stay Tuned poll, 58% of voters under 30 believe that new gun laws would reduce violence in the country. It’s one of the main topics Stanton said he will be paying attention to before deciding how to cast his vote in November.

Stanton said he’s undecided on the presidential race right now but ideally wants a candidate who “doesn’t restrict all guns but has some restrictions. … There should be more rules and regulations set in place.”

Beyond the election, though, Stanton said he relies on empathy to reconcile the grief he feels for his brother, his views on the political landscape and the responsibility he believes he now has to protect his family.

“I just want better and more for me,” he said, “just choosing a different path and just sticking towards that.”

Maya Eaglin

Maya Eaglin is a digital reporter for NBC News’ “StayTuned” on Snapchat.