Virginia Declares State of Emergency After Peaceful Second Amendment Activists Want to Hold Educational Event at Capitol
Jose Nino
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Virginia Governor Ralph “Blackface” Northam has called a state of emergency after allegedly receiving “credible intelligence” of threats of violence at an upcoming gun rights rally in Richmond, Virginia.
According to Vice, this state of emergency will temporarily ban individuals from carrying firearms on Capitol grounds.
At a press conference on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, Northam said that authorities believe “armed militia groups plan to storm the Capitol” during the rally on January 20.
In response to what he described as “credible intelligence” of threats of violence at an upcoming gun rights rally in Richmond, Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency and will temporarily ban individuals from carrying firearms on Capitol grounds.
Northam also claims that law enforcement had intercepted threats and “extremist rhetoric” similar to what was observed before the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville on August 2017. “We will not allow that mayhem and violence to happen here,” he stated.
“No weapons will be allowed on Capitol grounds,” said Northam. “Everything from sticks and bats to chains and projectiles…. The list also includes firearms. It makes no sense to ban every other weapon but allow firearms when intelligence shows that armed militia groups plan to storm the Capitol.”
On the rally’s Facebook page, several attendees already said they won’t comply and plan on leaving their weapons at home. Nevertheless, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has planned to crack down on rule-breakers. “Violations of the law will not be tolerated,” Stoney stated.
The event on January 20, better known as “Lobby Day”, was put on by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a pro-Second Amendment nonprofit as a response to the flood of new gun control legislation that Democrats in the Virginia State Legislature are proposing. Northam admitted that the organizers have been planning the rally for some time.
“I believe them when they say this is a peaceful event — that’s what democracy is,” stated Northam. “Unfortunately, they have unleashed something much larger, something they may not be able to control.”
According to the Facebook page, 5,000 people have plans of attending. Event organizers warned the state that as many as 100,000 people could show up.
A website promoting the rally shows that at least 60 buses are scheduled to transport attendees to the state capitol of Richmond on Monday. Carpools are also being organized for the event.
Northam also plans on establishing a unified command between state police, Capitol police, Richmond police department, and first responder teams.
Northam claims that the state of emergency will be lifted on Tuesday.
Ultimately, this decision by Northam is an overreaction. There have been plenty of open carry demonstrations of people peacefully carrying normal firearms across the nation, without any incidents of violence.
Lobby Day in Richmond ultimately functions as an educational event for countless law-abiding gun owners who are worried of the new Democrat majority’s threats of passing unconstitutional gun control legislation.
But for paranoid politicians like Northam, any kind of dissent from the right wing constitutes a potential act of extremism.
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