Gun reform protest draws crowd in Franklin

More than 100 people gathered on Franklin's public square on Saturday, April 1, to call for the reform of gun laws just days after a shooting at The Covenant School in Green Hills killed three children and three school staff members, one of whom was a Franklin resident.

The shooting sent shockwaves through the Nashville and Middle Tennessee community and brought an international spotlight on the region, sparking demonstrations at the state capitol fueled by grief and outrage.

The victims included Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney (ages 8 and 9), substitute teacher Cindy Peak (age 61), custodian Mike Hill (age 61) and head of the Covenant School Katherine Koonce (age 60).

Police identified the shooter as 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a former student of the school, who was killed in a shootout with responding officers.

On March 30, dozens of Franklin community members gathered in the Monticello neighborhood for an evening memorial honoring Peak's life, and funerals were held for victim's throughout the weekend.

Saturday's protest included a group prayer, chants of "enough is enough" and "protect our students," as well as remarks from students, teachers, parents, physicians and lawmakers, including Rep. John Ray Clemens and Rep. Justin Jones, neither of whom represent Williamson County.

“Before that [the Covenant School shooting] I thought, ‘Oh, this wouldn't happen to me, I go to a private school or something like that,’ but then I realized that nobody is safe and that we need to take action,” Battle Ground Academy eighth grader Wilson Webster told the crowd. “Something needs to happen to guns before something happens to us.”

One demonstrator was Nashville doctor Joy Henningsen who said that while she did not treat any of the Covenant School victims, she regularly sees the physical damage inflicted on gun violence victims.

“I've never been to a rally or a protest in my entire life and I felt that this was the time, and I would like to be able to heal my patients and not bury them,” Henningsen told The News.

Organizers Caroline and Jared Sullivan, both Franklin High School graduates who are parents to two daughters, began planning the demonstration just hours after the March 27 shooting. 

“We thought it would be the two of us, maybe a few family members, but we couldn’t not come forward and voice an opinion,” Caroline Sullivan said. 

The Sullivans said that they invited several state and federal representatives who live in Williamson County, including State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Gov. Bill Lee and State Rep. Sam Whitson.

Jared Sullivan specifically called Whitson a “good, sensible Republican,” and said, “he’s told me in emails that he’s for some sensible [gun] regulation.”

“I invited him, he did not show up, and that’s extremely disappointing because good people should stand up in the face of wrong, and I wish more of our Republican representatives would.”

On Monday, April 3, an estimated 7,000 people, mostly students, marched to the state capitol in a mass walkout demonstration aimed at continuing to pressure legislators to take action on gun reform.

Gov. Lee also announced on Monday a $200 million investment in school security, but did not specifically address gun law reform.

That money will be used to place a school resource officer in every public school, provide security upgrades and expand mental healthcare services at public and private schools.

While it's unclear if Williamson County will continue to see demonstrations, Nashville will remains a political and social hotspot as teachers are expected to take part in a "sickout" protest on Thursday morning.