About 300 students from Central High School walked out of class Friday morning as part of National School Walkout Day.
The protest was held on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, which killed 12 students and a teacher. Nick Koehler was one of the organizers and says they want to see tougher gun laws and safer schools all across the country.
"We've all been born in a post-Columbine world. So scary that this is the norm that we live in. Changes need to be made," Koehler says.
Koehler and the other students were trying to send a message to lawmakers about the importance of passing common sense gun laws.
"A lot of us are 18 or turning 18 and we're going to have the right to vote. And if we demand legislation to be passed that doesn't get passed all we can do is vote them out and vote in someone who will pass legislation we agree with."
Koehler says that includes mandatory background checks, raising the age to purchase guns to 21 and banning assault rifles.
Central Principal Dr. Ed Bennett says students he worked with student leaders to ensure the protest would be peaceful. "Regardless of the issue, students don't check their First Amendment rights at the school house door," Bennett says. "If they want to protest and leave school they can do it."
Bennett and other school administrators kept an eye on the protesters making sure they stayed safe. He says they also worked with the students to make sure their message was clear. Many students held signs and chanted "books not bullets" and "enough is enough".
The students also signed petitions pushing for gun legislation and were taken to Senator Deb Fischer's office. There was also an effort to help 18 year old students register to vote.