STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Virginia's Capitol Hit With Gun Rights Activists For Second Amendment Rally

Perceived threats of violence prompted Gov. Ralph Northam to order a state of emergency.

Massive crowds have descended upon Virginia in opposition to gun-control laws.

The Washington Post reports, thousands of gun rights supporters from the state and across the country gathered in Richmond on Monday (Jan. 20) for the rally. 

Ahead of the gathering, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) ordered a state of emergency and banned guns from Capitol Square after threats and indications of potential violence, the Washington Post reports. 

The Washington Times reports that Donald Trump slammed the move by Northam calling it a “very serious attack” on the second amendment. 

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“Your 2nd Amendment is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia,” Trump tweeted. “That’s what happens when you vote for Democrats, they will take your guns away. Republicans will win Virginia in 2020. Thank you Dems!”

He later tweeted, “The Democrat Party in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia are working hard to take away your 2nd Amendment rights. This is just the beginning. Don’t let it happen, VOTE REPUBLICAN in 2020!”

Fox News reports that Richmond, once the capital of the Confederacy, has been on high alert for days following threats of violence at the rally, including claims of a militia storming the Capitol and protesters weaponizing drones. The security concerns have led to road closures as well as a ban on firearms in the Capitol and on its grounds.

Rally organizer the Virginia Citizens Defense League told Fox News that it’s not the pro-gun groups stoking fear, but instead the Democrats. 

"It's almost like they want something to happen,” the League’s president Philip Van Cleave told Fox News. “It sounds crazy, but they keep doing it and you have to start wondering if that's intentional."

Expected to attend are members of the Light Foot Militia, some of whom were banned from Charlottesville, Va., following the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” rally, Fox News reports. 

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Prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer also indicated he may make an appearance at the rally, according to Fox News. 

Many supporters reportedly carried firearms and wore stickers reading “Guns Save Lives,” according to Fox News. 

While the crowd was overwhelmingly white and male, it did include some diverse voices, the Washington Post reports. 

A Chinese immigrant who recently obtained her U.S. citizenship was among the crowd, the Washington Post reports, and she carried a sign that read: “Do I look like a white supremacist?” 

Although she declined to give her name, she told the Washington Post, “I’m an immigrant who’s a new U.S. citizen and I feel like the right to protect ourselves is important.”

Among the rally speakers was Sen. Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield), who drew attention last year for wearing a .38 special on her hip on the Senate floor, the Washington Post reports.

As a part of her remarks, like others, she read the Second Amendment verbatim, the Washington Post reports.

Fox News reports that the rally is a part of Lobby Day, which is an annual event in Virginia where advocates of a variety of causes descend on Richmond’s Capitol Square to plead their cases to legislators. 

While gun rights advocates have shown up in past years, Fox News reports that Monday’s turnout has grown astronomically.

The Washington Post reports that other advocates who would normally come to the Capitol for Lobby Day have mostly stayed away. 

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