Rally at the Capitol Building- January 27th, 2025

If you were at the recent January 27th, 2025 rally at the Nashville, Tennessee Capitol Building, you were probably among the many people who were shocked and furious at the recent Antioch High School shooting. Many people who weren’t there, however, wonder what exactly was careening around the heads of the students and teachers there. Where is their anger really being directed?

Firstly, all students I asked say they’re protesting in representation of their fellow students. A student at Nashville School of the Arts, junior Judy Carrasco, stated, “I have a lot of family and friends that are affected… It could happen to my siblings and our future children,” showing concern not only for current students but for future students as well. Similarly, an alumna from Antioch High School, Shayan Ryan, expressed her fears for the students of Antioch High, stating, “It means a lot as an Antioch alumni who went through a lot at that school. I definitely just wanna be able to know that they’re gonna have support where they need it.”

These same people are concerned for their communities as places they’ve grown up and as places they’re currently growing up in. Shayan Ryan continued, “I never imagined it would’ve happened in my hometown, somewhere I grew up.” Another student from NSA, junior Jake Cochran, said, “Antioch high is pretty close to where I live, and there were two guns found at Cane Ridge high which is very close to where I live.” There is much concern among students and others regarding how it affects the community and the people around them.

When asked about the protest, the Tennessee State Representative of House District 53, Jason Powell, expressed his concerns for the community: “I think the protest was organized and brought together for and by the students. I think it’s very important to hear youth voices, the students in our city and state, and the ones who are under attack in our schools by gun violence, hate and other things, so I just wanted to show up here and do my part to support the students.” He also expressed his concern for his own children who are enrolled in MNPS, and that “I have the same fears that these students do, that something could happen to them because of gun violence, so personally it’s an ongoing concern.”

These statements from students, alumni, and politicians alike showcase a stark fear for the well being of the community, but how would they fix it if given the chance? Firstly, most students understand the significance of the 2nd amendment and believe it’s a constitutional right that can’t be infringed upon. When asked about whether they support the 2nd amendment as the right to bear arms for self and home defense, a few students said no or that they’re impartial on it, but the majority of them said yes. When asked about whether he supports it or not, an anonymous male student said, “I mean, yes, but we need more control over it, right? There’s no reason anyone needs an AR-15 or anything like that, I mean it’s just common sense gun control.” The words “common sense” have shown up quite often in answers relating to gun laws, like when Mr. Jason Powell stated, "We’ve allowed these weapons of mass destruction to infiltrate our society. We have to put in common sense laws that can stop the violence in our country.” The repetitive use of the term “common sense” in relation to these gun laws shows a very unanimous disdain for the current gun laws in our administration among students. However, what is "common sense" to one person might differ to another based on their values and beliefs.

When asked about what gun restrictions they would enact, every person did not wish to take guns away entirely. The majority of people stated that they would ban assault weapons and make the process of actually buying a gun a lot more difficult with more restrictions, while a select few admitted that they wouldn’t know where to start. When asked what he would do, Mr. Jason Powell stated, “I would enact multiple gun laws, I think there are very common sense things we can do. We’ve looked at these, we’ve proposed these laws like safe storage, ERPO laws, red flag laws. They are unfortunately continuing to push legislation that is taking us in the wrong direction. I mean, they just made it even more restrictive to pass ERPO laws, we also armed teachers this last session. So I would be a huge proponent of multiple pieces of gun legislation, banning bump stock, banning weapons of mass destruction that are now easily sold and obtained, so I’d run a wide gambit and really end gun violence in our country.”

I also found that a lot of people’s aggression is targeted at Governor Bill Lee and the National Rifle Association. Multiple people state that Bill Lee and other politicians similar to him are “bought out by the NRA,” which is accused of acting as a lobbyist group who spends money to protect their business interests. When asked about why he thinks the NRA bought them out, an anonymous teenage high school boy said, “Since lobbying is, y’know, legal, I mean it’s not crazy to think that the NRA would pay politicians to protect their interests, since an assault weapon ban would severely hurt revenue.” Regarding the 2nd amendment, Mr. Jason Powell commented, “What I think has been lost and quite frankly is being controlled by the NRA and the gun lobby is just complete lack of control on responsible gun ownership.” Many students also expressed concerns that major politicians did not represent them well, stating that some were on their side but many were not, and many students linked that to the idea that the NRA is a lobbyist group, some even calling politicians “weak-kneed when it comes to the gun lobby.”

During the rally, there were multiple chants used by the crowd to express their anger, including “Si se puede,” (translation: Yes we can) a chant used by the hispanic dominated United Farm Workers labor union in 1972, “No justice, no peace,” “f*ck Bill Lee,” and more, but the most common one and the one that stood out the most was “not one more.” When asked about what “not one more” meant to them, all people stated that something similar; not one more kid, not one more death, no more senseless violence, and we need to be able to live in a society where our children feel safe every day.

The Nashville Capitol protest held on January 27th, 2025 in honor of the Antioch High School shooting saw many students, alumni, parents, and even political representatives who were angry at America for being lazy on implementing gun restrictions. Their anger stems from the NRA and the fear of lobbyist groups who act in the interest of guns and profits instead of students, and they all hold true to their hearts that gun laws are common sense to prevent the deaths of children.