NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — While lawmakers will be inside the capitol Monday for the special session, a group will be on the steps outside rallying in response to the deadly Antioch High School shooting.
Rally for Antioch will be led by local students pushing lawmakers to pass gun safety laws during the special session. They'll be protesting between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Speakers will include State Representatives Jason Powell and Gloria Johnson, community leader and Covenant School mom Sarah Shoop Neumann, and an Antioch High School student. Before the rally announcement, Powell sent a letter to Governor Bill Lee requesting an expansion of the upcoming special session to address school shootings.
From background checks to red flag laws and mandatory waiting periods, student organizers believe basic measures could save schools and allow students to learn without fear of death are clear. Their goal is to show the state that the tragedy at Antioch intensifies the pressing need for immediate action and to convey to the General Assembly that their constituents support gun safety legislation.
Student organizers said it's sad they've been trained to respond to a school shooter as conventionally as a tornado and that their peace of mind is in jeopardy. "I'm hoping for more safety protocols for schools that don't have it, schools that can't afford it, schools that kids are going to every day not knowing if they could be next," said Smyrna High student Alyxandra Rivera. "So it's hard for kids to, for parents even, hard for parents to send their kids to school wondering if their kids are gonna be next."
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-Rebecca Schleicher
