VCDL Lobby Day
Lobbyists at VCDL's 2020 Lobby Day in Richmond, Virginia
DateJanuary 20, 2020 (2020-01-20)
LocationVirginia State Capitol, Richmond, Virginia
Coordinates37°32′24″N 77°25′57″W / 37.539918°N 77.432436°W / 37.539918; -77.432436
Organized byVirginia Citizens Defense League

The Lobby Day 2020 was a gun rights rally that took place on January 20, 2020, at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia.[1][2][3] The rally was an extension of the Second Amendment sanctuary movement and was organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Fears of violence by neo-Nazis prompted Virginia governor Ralph Northam to declare a state of emergency ahead of the event, although the event concluded peacefully with no reports of violence.

Background

Virginia's Lobby Day is an annual event, held each year on MLK Day and created by the Virginia Citizens Defense League. The annual rally began about 17 years ago.[4] The 2020 rally received international attention and a greater turnout than previous years because a Democratic majority in both the Virginia House of Delegates and state Senate was elected in 2019, alongside incumbent Democratic governor Ralph Northam, along with fears of the passage of pending, stringent gun control legislation.[4][5] President Donald Trump also acknowledged the event,[6] and stated that the United States Constitution was "under very serious attack" in the Commonwealth of Virginia.[7]

State of emergency

Police and protesters stand off in Seattle on May 30
Armed demonstrators at the Lobby Day rally, January 20, 2020

Governor Ralph Northam received advance warning that "out-of-state militia groups and hate groups" were planning to come to the event to "intimidate and to cause harm" to the demonstrators,[8] which led him to declare a state of emergency ahead of the event.[9]

Three members, including two US citizens and one Canadian national, of the neo-Nazi group The Base—of which were hostile to the beliefs of the protesters—were arrested in Maryland by the FBI days before the event and charged with harboring illegal aliens, unlawful possession and interstate transportation of a machine gun with intent to commit a felony, and, for the Canadian national, being an alien in possession of firearms and ammunition.[10][11] Although initial reporting on the arrest of the three neo-Nazis implied a connection to the VCDL rally,[12][13] neither press release[14] from the US Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland nor the court documents from the prosecution of the arrested neo-Nazis[11][15] stated they planned to attend the rally. The group hoped that the rally would kickstart a second civil war, which would culminate with a neo-Nazi coup of the United States Government.[15]

Demonstration

A reported 22,000 people demonstrated, less than half of the number of attendees predicted by the rally's organizers.[16] Speakers at the event included Stephen Willeford, Republican State Senator Amanda Chase, Republican Delegate Nick Freitas, and Republican Delegate John McGuire.[17] The event concluded peacefully.[18][19][20]

References

  1. ^ Taylor, Alan (January 20, 2020). "Photos From the Pro-gun Rally in Virginia - The Atlantic". The Atlantic. Thousands of gun-rights activists took part in a peaceful rally on Lobby Day, today, in Richmond, Virginia.
  2. ^ Brooks, Brad (January 21, 2020). "Thousands of armed U.S. gun rights activists join peaceful Virginia rally". Reuters. More than 22,000 armed gun-rights activists peacefully filled the streets around Virginia's capitol building on Monday to protest gun-control legislation making its way through the newly Democratic-controlled state legislature.
  3. ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica; de Vries, Karl (January 20, 2020). "Virginia gun-rights rally concludes peacefully despite earlier fears of extremist violence". CNN. The crowd, however, was peaceful, with no immediate reports of violence.
  4. ^ a b Chappell, Bill (January 20, 2020). "Richmond Gun Rally: Thousands Of Gun Owners Converge On Virginia Capitol On MLK Day". National Public Radio. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "Richmond braces for giant gun rights rally on Monday". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Ayesh, Rashaan (January 18, 2020). "Trump tweets in support of pro-gun activists ahead of Virginia rally". Axios. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  7. ^ "Ahead of tinder box Virginia gun rally, Trump says Constitution under attack". News.trust.org. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  8. ^ "Virginia Governor Declares State Of Emergency Ahead Of Gun Rights Rally". Npr.org. January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "Declaration Of A State Of Emergency Due To Potential Civil Unrest At The Virginia State Capitol" (PDF). Retrieved January 20, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Virginia Capital on Edge as F.B.I. Arrests Suspected Neo-Nazis Before Gun Rally". New York Times. January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. BRIAN MARK LEMLEY, JR., and PATRIK JORDAN MATHEWS" (PDF).
  12. ^ "FBI arrests suspected neo-Nazis ahead of Virginia gun rally". BBC News. January 16, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  13. ^ "6 Suspected Neo-Nazis Arrested In Lead-Up To Virginia Gun Rally". HuffPost. January 17, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  14. ^ "Three Alleged Members of the Violent Extremist Group "The Base" Facing Federal Firearms and Alien-Related Charges". www.justice.gov. January 16, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. BRIAN MARK LEMLEY, JR., and PATRIK JORDAN MATHEWS" (PDF).
  16. ^ Epps, Garrett. "Guns Are No Mere Symbol." The Atlantic. 21 January 2020. 21 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Virginia Citizens Defense League". Virginia Citizens Defense League. January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  18. ^ "Virginia pro-gun rally: Despite anger, threats of insurrection, massive rally is carried out peacefully outside state Capitol". Washington Post. January 20, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  19. ^ Williams, Timothy; Tavernise, Sabrina; Kanno-Youngs, Zolan; Mervosh, Sarah (January 20, 2020). "Amid Tight Security, Virginia Gun Rally Draws Thousands of Supporters". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  20. ^ "At tense Virginia rally, demonstrators reject extremists, defend law-abiding gun owners". NBC News. January 20, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2020.

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