News

Virginia Bans Firearms In Capital Building Ahead Of Pro Gun-Rights Rally In Richmond

Authorities in Richmond, Virginia are preparing for the Lobby Day rally, a pro-gun gathering, they fear may turn violent. The rally is scheduled for Monday, January 20th: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced on Twitter that intelligence agencies discovered violent threats and declared a state of emergency ahead of the rally, banning all firearms from entering areas surrounding the state’s capital building. 


This is an annual event, but because of multiple gun-control laws that have been announced this month, authorities fear that angry gun-rights supporters and activists will react poorly. Counter-protestors, including the student activists from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 students were killed in a mass shooting in 2018, are set to lobby in the state capital for gun control. 

According to the Virginia Citizens Defense League, the rally’s organizers, it’s expected 50,000 people will attend. Groups including right-wing extremists and armed militias were expected to attend. 

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

SLIDESHOW: TOP DEMOCRATS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020

Seven members of a neo-Nazi group, including three who planned on attending Monday’s rally, were arrested by the FBI last week in Georgia. Three more were detained in Maryland and Delaware. They’ve been charged with attemped murder and participation in a criminal organisation. 

Christian Yingling, leader of the Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia during the violent clashes in Charlottesville in 2017, told the BBC he wanted a lot of people to show up to Monday’s rally, but feared it would turn violent. “I think there’s enormous potential for something to go wrong.”

The fear of violent clashes comes from a similar demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 that left many injured and one counter-protester dead after a protestor drove his car into a large crowd. 

Authorities in Richmond set up chain-link barriers around the Capitol and roads were closed off. Metal detectors have been set up around the capital for all those who wish to pass through the area.

Anacaona Rodriguez Martinez

Share
Published by
Anacaona Rodriguez Martinez

Recent Posts

Trump’s Rally-Style Speech At Fort Bragg Spurs Controversy Over Politicization Of The Military

President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged address Tuesday during a rally marking the Army’s…

1 hour ago

140K-Lb. Tanks For Army Parade On Trump’s Birthday Expected To Do $16M In Damage To D.C. Roads

On June 14, thousands of troops, 28 tanks and 100 other vehicles are expected to…

2 hours ago

Robert F. Kennedy’s Appointment Of Anti-Vax Members To CDC’s Vaccine Advisory Committee Alarms Experts

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed eight new…

5 hours ago

Trump’s DNI Tulsi Gabbard Posts ‘Strange’ Video Warning Of ‘Nuclear Holocaust’; ‘Needs To Change Her Meds,’ GOP Senator Advises

Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), posted a video to X, a social…

1 day ago

GOP Rep. Mary Miller Slammed For Criticizing Sikh Man Delivering Prayer In Congress, Confusing Him With A Muslim

A Republican congresswoman is facing bipartisan backlash after calling a Sikh's deliverance of a morning…

1 day ago

After Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Fires Members Of Vaccine Advisory Board, Experts Warn About Politicization Of Science

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he was removing all…

1 day ago