MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Students at Crosstown High School and White Station High School in Memphis walked out of class Wednesday afternoon in protest of gun violence.

The National School walkout was triggered by the mass shooting at Covenant School in Nashville that killed three students and three adults.

“Gun violence doesn’t just stop after the gun goes off. It manifests into homes, schools, communities, and in youth, till it takes over like a virus,” a Crosstown senior Shania Lee said.

Students are demanding stricter gun laws to be put in place as the Tennessee General Assembly debates these proposals. “Now I ask Tennessee lawmakers to commit to changing this narrative, to give children around Tennessee a fighting chance to beat gun violence and the status quo,” Lee said

According to reports, gun violence is one of the leading factors causing children and teenagers to die, with an average of 120 deaths within the United States and hundreds more injured.

So far this year, at least 33 other gun violence incidents have occurred nationally within school grounds, leaving eight people dead and 25 injured.

The Crosstown chapter of Students Demand Action for Gun Sense organized this event in hopes of legislative action against gun violence.