Crowds line up with their guns for Richmond gun rally

Hundreds of people have already lined up – including some with their guns – for a pro 2nd amendment rally in Richmond, Virginia, slated for Monday morning that has raised tensions in the town and is stoking fears of violence amid a growing nationwide debate over the right to bear arms. 

Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the rally in Richmond which began as an act of retaliation for recent law changes in the state which will tighten gun laws.  

In the last week, six people with alleged links to neo-Nazi, white supremacist groups have been arrested in connection with it and the FBI is fervently sniffing out any threats of violence. 

There are fears it could descend into a violent event like the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville which claimed the life of a counter-protester. 

Demonstrators hold hands as they stand outside the rally proudly wearing their rifles, helmets and bullet proof vests

Armed gun rights advocates line up outside Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday ahead of a rally organized by The Virginia Citizens Defense League. Tens of thousands are expected to attend the event and it is stoking fears of violence

Armed gun rights advocates line up outside Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday ahead of a rally organized by The Virginia Citizens Defense League. Tens of thousands are expected to attend the event and it is stoking fears of violence

There is an enormous police presence at the rally and all event attendees are being screened before they can enter the site - they will not be allowed to take their weapons into the protest area but many brought theirs and held them proudly as they stood on the outskirts of it

There is an enormous police presence at the rally and all event attendees are being screened before they can enter the site – they will not be allowed to take their weapons into the protest area but many brought theirs and held them proudly as they stood on the outskirts of it 

A gun rights activist proudly totes a Barrett M82 military rifle which is routinely used to shoot down planes in the armed forces

A gun rights activist proudly totes a Barrett M82 military rifle which is routinely used to shoot down planes in the armed forces

A police officer searches a man before allowing him to enter the protest site on Monday morning. The frigid temperatures plunged to 25F

A police officer searches a man before allowing him to enter the protest site on Monday morning. The frigid temperatures plunged to 25F 

Members of an armed militia group stand outside the protest site next to Richmond police officers and Virginia State Police officer

Members of an armed militia group stand outside the protest site next to Richmond police officers and Virginia State Police officer

A protester with an M82 rifle stands in front of an enormous flag which reads 'Come and Take It' - a taunt to Democrats seeking to impose tighter gun laws in the state

A protester with an M82 rifle stands in front of an enormous flag which reads ‘Come and Take It’ – a taunt to Democrats seeking to impose tighter gun laws in the state 

Many of the gun rights activists toted their rifles on their shoulders and some wore bullet proof vests to the event

Many of the gun rights activists toted their rifles on their shoulders and some wore bullet proof vests to the event

A protester carrying a sign which reads 'No Gun Grab! Grab her by the p***y. Trump 2020' and wearing a 'Guns Save Lives' sticker. The quote is a reference to the infamous remark Trump made in 2005 during an interview which resurfaced ahead of the 2016 election

A protester carrying a sign which reads ‘No Gun Grab! Grab her by the p***y. Trump 2020’ and wearing a ‘Guns Save Lives’ sticker. The quote is a reference to the infamous remark Trump made in 2005 during an interview which resurfaced ahead of the 2016 election 

Another man being screened before entering Capitol Square. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency ahead of the event

Another man being screened before entering Capitol Square. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency ahead of the event

A protester wearing a badge reading 'Guns Save Lives' recites the pledge of allegiance on Monday along with hundreds of others as they arrive ahead of the Richmond rally

A protester wearing a badge reading ‘Guns Save Lives’ recites the pledge of allegiance on Monday along with hundreds of others as they arrive ahead of the Richmond rally 

Both pro gun activists and anti-fascist demonstrators are expected to attend Monday’s event which will officially kick off at 11.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency and has banned weapons in the capitol but many brought theirs anyway. They will have to lose them before being screened at the actual protest site. 

A long list of weapons has been banned but pocket knives are allowed inside so long as they measure less than three inches. 

Snaking lines had already formed at the capitol by sunrise but the scene remains peaceful. Frigid temperatures of 25F may also reduce the crowd size. 

Some of the protesters have traveled from out of state to attend the event, whereas others – such as the Virginia Citizens Defense League – are passionately local. 

Philip Van Cleave, leader of the league, said: ‘People are looking at this and saying, “This is a canary in the coal mine. 

‘If they’re coming after rights in Virginia, then they’ll be coming for ours as well.”  They don’t want us to fail in stopping this. We’ve gotten huge donations from other states.’ 

A protester in camouflage wearing a rifle and a 'Guns Saves Lives' badge at Monday's rally

A protester in camouflage wearing a rifle and a ‘Guns Saves Lives’ badge at Monday’s rally 

A protester with a GoPro on his head totes a rifle and a badge saying 'Tread on Them'

A protester with a GoPro on his head totes a rifle and a badge saying ‘Tread on Them’ 

Protesters carried flags and signs which threatened they would not comply with gun reform posed by Democrat lawmakers

Protesters carried flags and signs which threatened they would not comply with gun reform posed by Democrat lawmakers

Protesters who got inside the site did not have guns but they proudly held up flags and signs. One held up a photograph of a KKK member which read 'the man behind the sheet wants your guns' - a reference to the Klan's origins as a military fraction of the Democratic party

Protesters who got inside the site did not have guns but they proudly held up flags and signs. One held up a photograph of a KKK member which read ‘the man behind the sheet wants your guns’ – a reference to the Klan’s origins as a military fraction of the Democratic party

A protester with a rifle slung on his shoulder mingles with others who had also brought their weapons before the rally

A protester with a rifle slung on his shoulder mingles with others who had also brought their weapons before the rally

Some stood on the sidelines of the event. Militia groups have been in contact with the police department to promise to work together to make sure the event remains peaceful

Some stood on the sidelines of the event. Militia groups have been in contact with the police department to promise to work together to make sure the event remains peaceful 

White supremacists to anti-government groups: Who’s expected at Virginia’s gun rally

 Virginia Citizens Defense League

The Virginia Citizens Defense League, an influential grassroots gun-rights organization with a long record in the state, has been the leading force behind Monday’s rally.

Each year on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday the group holds a lobby day, typically attended by several hundred gun enthusiasts who rally and meet with lawmakers to discuss legislation.

But this year’s event is expected to draw an enormous crowd.

The VCDL has donated over $200,000 to state lawmakers since 2002, records show. The group has emphasized the rally is intended to be peaceful and urged members not to bring long guns, saying they would be a ‘distraction.’

‘The eyes of the nation and the world are on Virginia and VCDL right now and we must show them that gun owners are not the problem,’ the group wrote in a recent email to its members.

The group’s president, Philip Van Cleave, has been in the national spotlight before. In 2018, Van Cleave was duped into participating in Sacha Baron Cohen’s ambush chat show, where he advocated for arming children.

Gun Owners of America

The influential pro-gun group Gun Owners of America describes itself as the only ‘no-compromise’ gun lobby in Washington and enjoys a loyal following.

Founded in 1975 by a California state lawmaker, Gun Owners of America joined the VCDL to seek an injunction against enforcement of Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive order banning guns from the Capitol Square. The state Supreme Court upheld the ban late Friday.

On its website, the group has urged its members to attend Monday’s rally.

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association, the country’s best known gun-rights organization, has distanced itself from Monday’s rally and instead held a lobby day last week.

Hundreds of people attended the event, where the NRA handed out unloaded 30-round gun magazines. A spokeswoman for the group headquartered in northern Virginia said the magazines were meant as a ‘morale booster’ for the NRA members who showed up to urge lawmakers to reject the gun control measures proposed by Northam and Democratic lawmakers.

Oath Keepers

Former U.S. Army paratrooper Stewart Rhodes formed The Oath Keepers in 2009, and the group has become one of the nation´s largest anti-government organizations, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In 2014, Oath Keeper members joined an armed standoff between federal officials and Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy over grazing rights on government land.

Later that year and in 2015, members patrolled the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, amid protests over the police killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown. They wore camouflage body armor and openly carried rifles.

The group urged its members in a post on its website to attend Monday’s rally and said it was sending trainers to Virginia to organize and train ‘armed posses and militia.’

‘It is NOT just about one day at a rally. It´s about organizing and training up Virginians in each town and county to make their Second Amendment Sanctuary Counties truly strong, united, and capable of actually defending their lives, liberty, and property,’ the group’s website says.

Three Percenter Movement

The Three Percenters are a loosely organized movement that formed in 2008, according to the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish civil rights organization that tracks extremist groups.

On its website, the right-wing group says it isn´t an anti-government militia but ‘we will defend ourselves when necessary.’

The Three Percenters derives its name from the belief that just 3% of the colonists rose up to fight the British. They have vowed to resist any government that infringes on the U.S. Constitution.

The Oregon Three Percenters joined an armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in 2016. Dozens of people occupied the remote refuge for more than a month to protest federal control of Western lands. The group also took part in a violent right-wing rally in Portland last year.

White supremacists

J.J. MacNab, a fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, said she didn’t expect large numbers of white supremacists. But MacNab said she thinks those who do attend will try to capitalize on the large expected crowd for a moment in the limelight.

‘It’s going to be a big event – they want to be part of it. They´re desperate to do Charlottesville 2.0,’ she said, referring to the 2017 rally that descended into violence.

Last week, authorities arrested at least seven men they linked to a violent white supremacist group known as The Base. Three of the men were planning to attend the rally in Richmond, according to an official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an active investigation.

 

Van Cleave has rejected calls for violence, but he has urged tens of thousands of armed militia leaders from across the United States to be in Richmond’s streets to provide security for his group.

A spokesman for the Capitol police said Van Cleave had worked closely with law enforcement officers on rally plans.

Trump appeared to egg on protesters ahead of the event with this tweet on Friday

Trump appeared to egg on protesters ahead of the event with this tweet on Friday  

High-profile national militia figures gathered for a meeting on Sunday near Richmond said they wanted Monday’s event to be peaceful, but feared the worst, with most saying any ‘lone wolf’ could unleash bitter fighting with a single shot.

‘The buildup is probably one of the most intense I’ve seen,’ said Tammy Lee, a right-wing Internet personality from Oklahoma, who was a figurehead in Charlottesville.

Christian Yingling, head of the Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia and a leader at the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, said none of his men would carry long guns and they wanted to avoid skirmishes, but forecast they would come.

‘With somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 people possibly coming out, this thing has enormous potential to go bad,’ he said. 

Northam, a Democrat, has vowed to push through new gun control laws. He is backing a package of eight bills, including universal background checks, a ‘red flag’ law, a ban on assault rifles and a limit of one handgun-a-month purchase.

The state’s gun owners responded with a movement to create ‘sanctuary cities’ for gun rights, with local government bodies passing declarations not to enforce new gun laws.

Since the November election, nearly all of Virginia’s 95 counties have some form of ‘sanctuary’, a term first used by localities opposed to harsh treatment of illegal immigrants.

A protester carrying an anti-Democrat sign holds it up to be read at the rally in Richmond, Virginia

A protester carrying an anti-Democrat sign holds it up to be read at the rally in Richmond, Virginia 

Protesters outside the Capitol building. It was fenced off over the weekend in anticipation of Monday's crowds

Protesters outside the Capitol building. It was fenced off over the weekend in anticipation of Monday’s crowds 

The idea has quickly spread across the United States, with over 200 local governments in 16 states passing such measures.

Despite the pushback, proponents of stronger gun laws say they are clearly winning the argument with the public, based on who got voted into office, and blame the tension on gun supporters.

‘We’re in this situation because the gun lobby has been pushing their message that we’re going to take all guns away – they’ve been fanning this fire for years,’ said Michelle Sandler, a Virginia state leader for Moms Demand Action, the grassroots arm of Everytown for Gun Safety.

It is not Northam’s first bid to tighten state gun laws. He called a special legislative session last summer after the massacre of 12 people in Virginia Beach, but the Republicans who then controlled it refused to vote on his proposals

As preparations for the event got underway, President Trump tweeted to admonish Democrats for their proposed gun reform on Virginians. 

‘Your 2nd Amendment is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia. That’s what happens when you vote for Democrats, they will take your guns away. 

‘Republicans will win Virginia in 2020. Thank you Dems!’  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk