My generation was taught that school should be a safe environment where we are free to grow and learn. But growing up hearing about senseless acts of gun violence in schools, we learned the hard lesson that when we walk through the school doors, our safety is not guaranteed.

This legislative session, Texas lawmakers made a push to increase the gun presence in schools with HB 1387. This is not the solution we are looking for. Guns don’t belong in the hands of teachers, and HB 1387 doesn’t belong as a Texas law.

Research shows that incidences of gun violence are occurring in schools with greater frequency, but I refuse to believe that there is nothing we can do to keep our schools safe. So, in my junior year of high school, I started a Students Demand Action chapter at my public school in San Antonio.

Before I got involved in Students Demand Action, I did not know much about how the Texas Legislature works. I only knew that I needed to do something to stop the gun violence I saw on the news and here in Texas. I’m not alone. Across the country, teenagers like me have taken the reins of the gun violence movement and taken a stand against institutions, even when some adults will not. We have taught ourselves about policy and the legislative process. We have made a voice for ourselves in this conversation, and we deserve to be heard by those who govern us. Lawmakers need to listen to us when we say that increasing the number of school marshals on campus will put us at risk, not help us.

We have learned that the solution to school shootings is not as simple as canceling out gun violence with more guns. An armed teacher or staff member will always pose a risk to the lives of students and staff alike because so much can go wrong when someone carries a gun into a school, no matter who they are. The stakes are even higher when that person is a teacher trained in education, not law enforcement. Armed teachers are not part of the safe learning environment that my classmates and I are hoping for. For us, the bottom line is that a classroom is not a shooting range and weapons have no place in our schools.

It’s already a scary thought that some schools in Texas allow certain teachers to be armed. But now that Gov. Greg Abbott has signed HB 1387, the cap that exists on how many teachers can carry guns in schools will be removed, potentially allowing an unlimited amount of armed teachers in schools. That creates even more room for error. I recognize the efforts of our state government to keep schools safe, but this bill is absolutely not what we need.

I wish our lawmakers would listen to the voices of the students. There are safety efforts that would actually make schools safer, like providing more funding for school counselors and helping law enforcement intervene if a student shows signs of being a danger to themselves or others. Now, it’s up to students and gun safety advocates across Texas to ask our school boards to make the right choice for safer schools and reject the School Marshal Program.

Devyn Moore is a volunteer leader with Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.