Thousands of guns rights activists descended on Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia, for a rally after the state Senate passed a series of bills limiting the purchasing of firearms and establishing mandatory background checks.
Gun owners rallied on the streets amid heavy security, with many demonstrators holding weapons, pro-gun rights banners and wearing camouflage clothing. Activists were campaigning for their right to bear arms, which is protected by the Second Amendment of the constitution.
Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA) declared a state of emergency and temporarily banned guns on capitol grounds as the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) held its annual Lobby Day demonstrations on Martin Luther King Jr Day.
The demonstrations come less than a week after the gun control measures were advanced in the state legislature, setting up for a contentious showdown between gun owners attending the rally and counter-protestors calling for common sense reforms in Virginia, known for its lax gun laws.
Donald Trump tweeted a message shortly before the rally officially began appearing to support the protestors. The president said: “The Democrat Party in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia are working hard to take away your 2nd Amendment rights”, followed by a call for people to vote Republican in the 2020 US election.
The FBI arrested multiple suspected neo-Nazis in the build-up to the event, who had reportedly discussed opening fire at the demonstrations and were anticipating a possible race war.
There were initially fears of a second Charlottesville -- when a white supremacist rally turned deadly in Virginia nearly three years ago -- but it was ultimately a peaceful, albeit tense, event.
Catch-up on events as they happened
Welcome to our live coverage
This is Chris Riotta on the ground in Richmond, Virginia, where the annual Lobby Day demonstrations are set to begin momentarily.
This year will likely prove to be one of the more contentious demonstrations of its kind, as it arrives just days after a series of gun control measures were passed in the state Senate, mostly along party lines. The bills are the result of a Democratic takeover in both house of the Virginia legislature -- the first time that's happened in about 25 years.
To be clear, some of the most controversial gun control bills did not advance to the state Senate and were effectively killed before they could become law. The three bills that did pass are SB 70, which establishes mandatory background checks, SB 69, which limits the individual purchasing of firearms to once a month, and SB 35, which provides local governments the ability to ban the possession of firearms in public during permitted events.
Chris Riotta: Many have called for calm ahead of the rally, including Susan Bro, the mother of civil rights activist Heather Heyer, the young woman who was killed by a white supremacist during the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Ms Bro warned anyone thinking of causing violence to "stay the hell away from Richmond" where the Lobby Day demonstrations are taking place today.
Here's our interview with Ms Bro, which also includes quotes from VCDL president Philip Van Cleave. Mr Van Cleave said he has been working with local authorities to ensure a safe event, adding that he has "no control" over other groups who decide to latch on to his demonstrations.
The president escalated the already-heightened rhetoric surrounding the Virginia rally in a tweet that claimed the 2nd Amendment "is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia" just days before the rally.
"That's what happens when you vote for Democrats," he added, "they will take your guns away."
Here's The Independent's Conrad Duncan with more on Donald Trump's decision to step into the gun control debate happening in Virginia.
Pro-gun demonstrators are already lining the streets of Richmond, many holding banners or American flags:
The rally is set to begin at 11am local time, but many activists are already at the scene. Some of the demonstrators are brandishing military-style rifles and other weapons:
With numbers expected to grow throughout the day, Virginia Police have prepared with a huge presence - both uniformed and plainclothes officers. Access to Capitol Square, where the protesting is focused, has been limited to one entrance via a security screening process.
Chris Riotta: The Capitol grounds are heavily guarded after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency. Hundreds are just outside of the fenced off Capitol grounds with automatic weapons and other firearms chanting “we will not comply”.
Chris Riotta: It should be noted that this is not a white supremacist rally. The president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League - the organization putting on today's demonstrations - tells me they have "no control" over any extremist groups who latch onto the event. That said, people booed a gun owner walking through the crowd with a sign on his outfit that read "Nazis suck." One demonstrators shouted: "You sound like one of them."
RoxAnne Christley has been leading the chants just outside the Capitol grounds, and seems to be a natural with the megaphone. The crowd gets particularly riled up when she begins calling on Governor Ralph Northam to be impeached.
Chris Riotta: Philip Van Cleave, president of the VCDL, tells me he's been working with police to ensure a peaceful rally.
"All I know is the police are going to have a strong presence, and if anyone does anything provocative we're going to walk away and go get the police."
Chris Riotta: The VCDL and demonstrators blame Governor Ralph Northam for the heightened tensions at this year's lobby day.
"He's the one that stirred everything up with his declaration of war agaiunst gun owners," he tells The Independent. "It was going to be a thousand people, now it's 100,000 people, [because of] his attack on law abiding gun owners."
Donald Trump has posted a tweet appearing to reference the rally, claiming that Democrats are trying to "take away" American's second amendment rights:
Guns rights activists greet state lawmakers as they arrive to the Capitol grounds.
The president's latest tweet supporting a rally attended by neo-Nazis and fascist militias follows his tweet saying that "when you vote for Democrats, they will take your guns away."
Virginia's state legislature isn't doing that. There are several proposals to require background checks for people who want to buy a gun and to allow local governments to ban firearms from public buildings.
The president is looking for Republican support this fall. Also on the ballot in Virginia in November are several Republicans running against Democratic incumbent Mark Warner in the US Senate race.
There's not a large showing of counter protestors near the Capitol grounds, but several have showed up despite the tension. Gun control activist Thomas Freeman says he's here because "people are dying" and "it's time to fix that."
"Traditionally on this day a lot of folks come to lobby, including guns rights activists, but they don't feel safe. Since I look like most people here, I feel it might be easier for me to come and represent the other side ... we're not trying to say 'no guns,' we're trying to say that some gun laws might be helpful."
After Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency to prepare for a gun rights rally attended by fascist groups, state Senator Amanda Chase has accused the governor of creating a "set up" that is potentially using "government plants" and the media to make the entire movement look like insurrection."
Ms Chase — who famously brought a gun to a state senate committee in 2019 — said "they are coming after us full speed ahead and they aren't even trying to hide it anymore." She has been speaking to people at the rally and posting her support on social media.
She was voted into office in 2015 by roughly 4,900 votes.
Chris Riotta: Guns rights activist James Manship says he's here - dressed as George Washington - to defend the "liberty to feel safe" by carrying guns. Manship says he feels safer in this crowd of gun owners than he would in "Washington DC or Baltimore."
He's holding the American flag upside down, the symbol for distress. Manship tells me that's on purpose: "The whole country is in distress, but especially the great commonwealth of Virginia, because of our 'Demoncrat' governor."
A man attending the rally interrupted an MSBC correspondent reporting live in Richmond. Gabe Gutierrez was speaking about Donald Trump's second amendment tweet from this morning, when the man appeared behind him and repeatedly swore on camera. It is unclear whether the man was there supporting gun rights or not.
Chris Riotta: A police source who asked not to be identified stressed that demonstrators must clear out at 1pm local time, when the Lobby Day permits expire.
"We don't know what happens after that," they added.
Chris Riotta: More than camouflage and body armour, Trump gear is the hottest commodity at the Lobby Day demonstrations - besides the guns themselves.
Vendors who asked not to be identified said the presidential merch (which goes for $10) is "selling like hot cakes."
Vendors who asked not to be identified said the presidential merch (which goes for $10) is "selling like hot cakes."
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