COLUMBIA, S.C. _ The marching band might not be able to make it, but One Republic Militia will be rallying in Columbia nonetheless.
Members of the "well regulated militia," as founder Jon Truett prefers the group to be described, will be coming together at the State House on Friday, he said.
If the militia's rally goes off as planned, its members will be converging on the capitol's grounds at the same time as social justice organizations including Black Lives Matter South Carolina, which have a weekend full of marches and protests in Columbia and at the State House.
Truett was looking for a marching band to play at the militia's rally but the band couldn't make it, he said on social media.
Truett described the militia as Second Amendment supporting "American patriots" who are tired of seeing "the crime, the violence and the destruction."
One Republic Militia stands for "our nation, the Constitution, religious freedom, and against systematic eradication of American history," its website says. "We stand against Democratic socialism; The violence, killing, burning, looting being perpetrated on the American citizens by domestic terrorist."
On the group's Facebook page it has shared posts comparing Black Lives Matters with Antifa and calling both "domestic terrorists."
While that may put One Republic Militia at odds with Black Lives Matters, Truett said his group will be peaceful as the two groups hold simultaneous rallies at the State House.
"We're not coming to be violent. We're not coming to have issues. We're not coming to run our mouths and start a bunch of crap," Truett said.
The Columbia Police Department is bolstering its ranks for the rallies with agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, according to the state agency.
"SLED will provide support to aide local law enforcement's mission of providing a safe and secure area for those exercising their constitutional rights through peaceful protest and assembly," spokesperson Tommy Crosby said.
At a Thursday afternoon news conference outside Columbia Police Department headquarters, Chief Skip Holbrook said the department has "a robust collaborative for safety."
Mayor Steve Benjamin said the city of Columbia as the state's heart will be protecting rights to speech.
"No matter who they are or what they represent," Benjamin said.
Collaboration with Black Lives Matter SC will help ensure the safety of protest, Richland Sheriff Leon Lott said.
But some One Republic Militia members will be legally carrying guns with concealed weapons permits, Truett said. They won't be carrying long guns while in the streets of Columbia and his group knows that guns, even with a license, are not permitted on the State House grounds and will follow that rule.
Across the United States, people armed with long guns, such as AR-15 style rifles, saying they're protecting property, have shown up in opposition to social justice protests. A similar situation combusted recently when police say a teenager shot into a crowd during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Three people were shot, including two who died.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported details on the shooting by the teenager.
The Bureau of Protective Services, which patrols the State House, said it and other police agencies "will have resources in place throughout the weekend to assist with any events."
"Our mission is to make sure that all events are safe, and our citizens and visitors are protected any time they gather," bureau spokesperson Major Dwayne Brunson said.
Truett said his group's rally would ideally let people know "we're tired of what's going on."
"We just want to line the streets with people in American flags," he said.
