Protesters rally in Nashville for gun reform after deadly school shooting

Nashville: Protesters gathered in Nashville to demand for gun reform, in the wake of a deadly shooting at a private elementary school in the Tennessee state capital earlier this week that led to the deaths of three children and three staff members.

“Shame on you,” a group of protesters chanted inside the Tennessee State Capitol on Thursday, aiming at inaction from politicians, reports Xinhua news agency.

David Hogg, who helped start March For Our Lives, a student-led demonstration supporting gun control legislation, after surviving a school shooting in 2018, tweeted that students in Nashville will be walking out on April 3 to demand stronger gun laws.

The heavily-armed shooter, identified as 28-year-old Nashville resident and transgender woman Audrey Hale, attacked The Covenant School in Nashville on Monday morning, killing six people, including three nine-year-old students, before being fatally shot by responding officers.

The three adult staff members were identified as 61-year-old Cynthia Peak, 60-year-old Katherine Koonce, and 61-year-old Mike Hill.

A candlelight vigil was held on Wednesday evening to mourn and honour the lives of the victims.

According to its website, the Covenant School is a private Christian institution that serves about 200 students from preschool through 6th grade.

Despite the mass shootings, it is unlikely that the divided Congress would approve the legislative proposal as Republicans control the House of Representatives this term and have advocated for the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

There have been 130 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter.

Meanwhile, 9,894 people, including hundreds of children and teens, have lost their lives to gun violence in the past three months.
IANS