Protest of proposed Va. gun laws peaceful
RICHMOND, Va — Thousands of mostly white men — many decked out in camouflage and armed with assault-style rifles — packed Richmond’s streets Monday, circling the gun-free Capitol Square, where thousands more waved signs and listened to speeches, all wanting to make one point: They weren’t going anywhere, and their gun rights shouldn’t either.
“I think there’s an assault on the Second Amendment,” said 60-year-old Richmond resident Danny Tumer, who was standing in line to get into the grounds at 6:30 a.m.
Tensions have been building across the state since Democrats gained a majority in the legislature and vowed to enact tighter gun control laws following the May mass shooting in Virginia Beach. As lawmakers filed bills to limit handgun purchases and require universal background checks, gun owners packed local government chambers, demanding localities not enforce any legislation they considered an infringement on their Second Amendment rights.
Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, had placed Richmond under a state of emergency prior to the event, saying the annual Virginia Citizens Defense League lobby day and rally Monday — which was also Martin Luther King Jr. Day — had drawn the attention of militia and out-of-state groups who have come to “intimidate” and “cause harm.”
He banned weapons from statehouse grounds, and anyone who wanted to be on Capitol Square had to pass through metal detectors and have their bags searched, causing lengthy lines. Many protesters wore orange stickers with the words “Guns SAVE Lives.”
Throughout the morning, the overwhelmingly pro-gun crowd, many from out of state, remained peaceful. There were only small groups of counterprotesters. Officials estimated 6,000 people were inside Capitol square, with another 16,000 outside the gates.
At around 1:30 p.m., after the crowd had dispersed, the state Twitter page VACapitol2020 tweeted that no arrests had been made. Many of the participants left on charter buses by 2 p.m.
In signs and speeches, people recalled Northam’s scandal from nearly a year ago, when a racist photo of someone in blackface and someone in Ku Klux Klan robes was discovered on his medical school yearbook page. Northam first admitted to being in the photo and later recanted while elected officials across the state called for his resignation.
Speakers also urged the crowd to vote in November, though no General Assembly legislator will be on the ballot then. Two Republican delegates, Nick Freitas and John McGuire, used their time with the microphone to promote their campaign for the 7th Congressional District.