Thousands hold peaceful pro-gun rally in Virginia
Plans to limit firearms protested.
Associated Press
Mon, 20 Jan 2020 20:02:32 GMT
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RICHMOND, Va. — Tens of thousands of gun-rights activists from around the country rallied peacefully at the Virginia Capitol on Monday to protest plans by the state’s Democratic leaders to pass gun-control legislation — a move that has become a key flash point in the national debate over gun violence.
The size of the crowd and the expected participation of white supremacists and fringe militia groups raised concerns that the state could have a repeat of the violence that exploded in 2017 in Charlottesville.
But Monday’s rally concluded uneventfully about noon, and the mood was largely festive, with rally-goers chanting “USA!” and waving signs denouncing Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat.
Many protesters chose not to enter the designated rally zone, where Mr. Northam had imposed a temporary weapons ban, and instead packed surrounding streets.
“I love this. This is like the Super Bowl for the Second Amendment right here,” said P.J. Hudson, a truck driver from Richmond who carried an AR-15 rifle just outside Capitol Square.
About 22,000 people attended, according to authorities, who said one woman was arrested on felony charge of wearing a mask in public.
The protesters said they came out to send a message to legislators.
“The government doesn’t run us, we run the government,” said Kem Regik, a 20-year-old private security officer from northern Virginia who brought a white flag with a picture of a rifle captioned, “Come and take it.”
Mr. Northam was a particular focus of the protesters’ wrath. One poster showed his face superimposed on Adolf Hitler’s body.
The governor said he was “thankful” the day passed peacefully and that “he will continue to listen to the voices” of Virginians while doing everything in his power “to keep our commonwealth safe.”
“The issues before us evoke strong emotions, and progress is often difficult,” he said.
Democrats in the legislature said the rally won’t affect their plans to pass gun-control measures, including universal background checks and a one-handgun-purchase-a-month limit.
Democrats said tightening Virginia’s gun laws will make communities safer and help prevent mass shootings like the one last year in Virginia Beach, where a dozen people were killed in a municipal building.
“I was prepared to see a whole lot more people show up than actually did, and I think it’s an indication that a lot of this rhetoric is bluster, quite frankly,” said lawmaker Chris Hurst, a gun-control advocate whose TV journalist girlfriend was killed in an on-air shooting in 2015.
President Trump expressed support for the protesters’ goals.
“The Democrat Party in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia are working hard to take away your 2nd Amendment rights,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. “This is just the beginning. Don’t let it happen, VOTE REPUBLICAN in 2020!”
The Virginia State Police, the Virginia Capitol Police, and the Richmond Police had a heavy presence, with officers deploying on rooftops and patrolling in cars and on bicycles.
Authorities were looking to avoid a repeat of the violence that erupted in Charlottesville during one of the largest gatherings of white supremacists and other far-right groups in a decade.
Attendees brawled with counterprotesters and an avowed white supremacist drove his car into a crowd, killing a woman and injuring dozens more.
Law enforcement officials faced scathing criticism for what both the white supremacist groups and anti-racism protesters said was a passive response.
On Monday, Southern Poverty Law Center staff members attended the rally and identified members of extremist militia groups, including the Oath Keepers and Three Percenters, as well as the League of the South, according to outreach director Lecia Brooks.
The League of the South, which the center designates a hate group, advocates for Southern secession.
In contrast to Charlottesville, there was little sign of counterprotesters challenging the gun-rights activists.
Police limited access to Capitol Square to only one entrance and a long line formed to get into the rally zone. Gun-rights advocates also filled the hallways of the building that houses lawmakers’ offices.
Monday’s rally was organized by an influential grassroots gun-rights group, the Virginia Citizens Defense League.
The group holds a yearly rally at the Capitol, typically a low-key event with a few hundred gun enthusiasts listening to speeches from a handful of Republican lawmakers.
This year’s event was unprecedented. Second Amendment groups have identified the state as a rallying point for the fight against what they see as a national erosion of gun rights.
The pushback against proposed new gun restrictions began after Democrats won majorities in both the state Senate and House of Delegates in November.