NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — On Monday morning, hundreds of students walked out of school and marched to the state capitol.
The March for Our Lives rally brought in students, parents and allies from all over Middle Tennessee to tell lawmakers more needs to be done to end gun violence in schools.
They want lawmakers to pass a law to end some semiautomatic rifles like assault-like weapons in Tennessee. Students and supporters are saying those are weapons of war and have no place in the hands of citizens. So they raised their voices to get the message across.
"A gun is a killing machine. It's not designed to do anything other than kill and destroy. Why are you distributing that to your citizens?" said Judah Horn, a high school sophomore.
The March For Our Lives Rally started at 10:13 Monday morning — exactly one week when six innocent lives were shot in killed in The Covenant School shooting. Students from Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, Hume-Fogg Academic High School, and other schools in the Nashville area walked out of their classrooms and into the streets.
It was even during the silent moments of this protest that the message to end gun violence was loud and clear.
"I’m scared to go to school every day and that shouldn’t be happening at all," said 12-year-old Mina Hesse.
Other students also said they're afraid to go to school.
"I just don’t want to die at school. I shouldn’t have to worry about that."
Moved to tears, her mother says it's a worry many parents have as well.
"Look at all these beautiful children supporting themselves. They’re fighting for themselves and a lot of these kids I know because I work as a teaching artist," said Holly Cannon-Hesse. "I’m seeing kids from all over that I worked with in the past that are having to stand up to not getting hurt in the classroom that’s why it’s emotional."
Until change is made, these students say they will keep fighting.
"I’m very sad that everyone has to be here but I’m also very happy that people are here and fighting against what’s been happening. It’s not fair that we’re here but we have to be so we can actually be safe in school," said Hesse.
Besides a ban on semiautomatic rifles, students say also don't want to see the age to constitutionally carry without a permit lowered to age 18.
