Tennessee lawmakers ignored our pleas not to arm teachers in schools. We'll vote them out.
Students across the state are massively disappointed by our Tennessee House of Representatives' decision to pass HB1202, the “arming teachers” bill. We did all we could, and still our legislature refused to listen to its own constituents.
We wrote open letters, called, emailed, snail-mailed, visited offices, signed petitions, walked out of school twice, marched, rallied, educated, and posted videos. We gave all we could, and still our representatives did not listen. We got nowhere.
We have elected these legislators to serve us, and yet nothing we have done has made them listen. We students are educated, we are intelligent, and we are opposed to the existence of guns in schools. We refuse to be political bargaining chips to serve misguided purposes.
Schools are sanctuaries: Gov. Bill Lee, keep guns away from schools. They are safe places for Tennessee students.
In school, we learn about our right to vote, and how sacred it is. Though many of us are under 18, make no mistake: We will exercise our rights. Come summer, we will knock on doors in every contested district where the representatives voted “Aye” to HB1202. We the students refuse to be ignored and our power will be put on display this November.
When a democratic government refuses to serve its people, it becomes the responsibility of the people to change their government. We students will take on this responsibility. In our anger we will be moved to action, and we will create a change.
Emmie Wolf-Dubin, 16, Nashville
Sarayah Shaw, 18, Nashville
Marley Mello, 15, Nashville
On behalf of student organizers
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Guns don't belong in schools. Arming teachers may cost TN GOP election
