Peace prevails at Va. gun-rights rally
RICHMOND, Va. – Thousands of gun owners and gun-rights supporters gathered Monday at Virginia’s Capitol for a “peaceful day to address our Legislature” that appeared to generate none of the violence that some state leaders had feared.
Many demonstrators, opposed to proposed gun restrictions, displayed military-style semiautomatic rifles. Other wore orange “Guns save lives” stickers as the crowd chanted “USA” and sang the national anthem. Signs read “come and take it” and “Second Amendment Sanctuary.”
But despite warnings from Gov. Ralph Northam and law enforcement that out-of-state hate groups and militias might incite violence, the protest did not grow heated. Police estimated the size of the crowd at 22,000, including 6,000 people inside Capitol Square. Only one arrest was reported: Police said Mikaela E. Beschler, 21, of Richmond was charged with one felony count of wearing a mask in public after being warned twice against wearing a bandana covering her face.
Matthew French, 40, from Bland, Virginia, called the rally a success and said he hoped the crowd would sway legislators.
“The sheer numbers here speaks for itself,” he said. “I hope our legislators will back off. Today was the civil rights march of my life.”
Tom Rohde, 49, of West Point, Virginia, said he was happy to see no violence.
“You got thousands of guns and not a single bullet fired,” he said.
Northam declared a state of emergency Friday through Tuesday, banning all weapons, including firearms, in the square around the Capitol building. He said law enforcement received “credible” threats of violence from out-ofstate hate groups and militias.
At least six suspected members of a violent neo-Nazi group were arrested last week in Maryland and Georgia. Three were reportedly planning to attend the rally, and authorities feared they would incite violence.
Although more than a thousand gathered inside the grounds, many more were outside rallying. Flags bearing President Donald Trump’s name and “don’t tread on me” poked up above the crowd as the smaller crowd inside the Capitol grounds watched.
“We will not comply,” the large crowd outside the gates chanted.
The day was planned as a “lobby day” by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, which has organized similar events to advocate for gun rights for years. A mass movement grew out of the scheduled protest this year, however, drawing interest from people who had “malicious plans” for the rally, Northam said.
Authorities were determined to ensure the rally didn’t spark chaos like what marked a 2017 white nationalist protest in Charlottesville. Clashes broke out at the “Unite the Right” rally, and a neo-Nazi rammed his car into a crowd, killing a counterprotester. Some of the militia groups that said they would attend the rally in Richmond are the same ones that attended that rally, the Daily Beast reported.
“No one wants another incident like the one we saw at Charlottesville,” Northam said.