NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – On Wednesday, protestors promised the call for gun reform wasn’t going to stop as they gathered outside the Tennessee State Capitol demanding change.

Vanderbilt student Katey Parham said her heart aches for The Covenant School and her home state of Texas. She is from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, which is just south of Allen, Texas where a mass shooting took the lives of eight people Saturday.

“Unfortunately, I wrote this speech sitting in front of the TV, watching reports of another mass shooting occurring this time in Allen, Texas,” Parham said during her speech. “I had to sit by as my aunt, who taught in the Allen Public School System for 15 years, waited to hear if her former students were amongst the slaughtered.”

Similar voices of sadness and calls for change were shared during the protest, including a message from Tennessee House Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville).

“Just today, [Gov. Bill Lee] signed a bill that is a non solution to school shootings,” Jones said. “The governor signed a bill to make our schools into militarized zones, which is not the solution.”

Gov. Bill Lee believes the new legislation tackles many of the issues that will help protect schools.

He was quoted saying, “Every year since 2019, we’ve worked with the general assembly to prioritize school safety, and this year, we’ve passed significant measures to fund an armed SRO for every public school, enhance mental health support and boost physical security at public and private schools across Tennessee.”

This group wants changes and said they won’t stop fighting until their voices are heard.