ST. LOUIS — Students across the nation walked out of class to call for stronger gun laws on Wednesday.
Just over 1,000 students at Ladue Middle School joined their peers at other schools across the region at noon to call for an end to gun violence where they go to be educated.
They held their signs high and chanted loudly across the school grounds.
The outcry comes a week after a gunman opened fire at a Christian middle school in Nashville and killed three students and three adults.
“We cannot wait until we can run for office. This is a matter of now. Not ten years from now. Every time there is a school shooting we hear from our political leaders, we hear their thoughts and prayers. Thoughts and prayers are no longer enough,” said Calvino Hammerman, a student organizer.
The Nashville shooter was being treated for an undisclosed emotional disorder when they committed the crime.
Something Hammerman believed could be stopped with stricter gun laws.
“I am looking for waiting periods when purchasing firearms and I stand for increased red flag laws that could have prevented the Nashville shooting,” he said.
Administrators supported the young leaders as they demonstrated.
“All of the schools here in Ladue schools are so passionate about forming positive relationships with all students. Really getting to know them. To notice what energy they bring in each day. To notice when they are feeling concerned and worried," Ladue Middle School principal Dr. Angela Thompson said.
The young learners added when it comes to protecting their future, it is far from a one-size-fits-all approach.
“That is more than just mental health, and it is more than just gun control. It's all of those things working together," Hammerman said.
Students at Maplewood-Richmond Heights middle and high schools as well as Ralph M. Captain Elementary also walked out.
They had the full support of their school administrators and teachers.