Armed demonstrators gather at Virginia state Capitol as states stay tight on security ahead of inauguration kesq.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kesq.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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RICHMOND, Virginia About 100 gun rights activists showed up Monday in Virginia s capital city for Lobby Day despite heightened security measures that restricted their access to the Capitol building and to lawmakers.
State officials and law enforcement agencies said they scaled back this year s activities following an FBI warning issued last week that armed protests could be planned outside of all 50 state capitol buildings in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 siege at the U.S. Capitol.
“There is a lot of [online] chatter about Saturday and Sunday, but we’re primarily focused on Monday,” Virginia public safety secretary Brian Moran said Friday after briefing General Assembly staffers. “In terms of credible threats we’re monitoring it.”
COVID lockdowns, protests, election strife led to record gun sales in 2020
Police with guns drawn watch as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Black Lives Matter protesters stand with a banner in the middle of 3rd Avenue South as they prepare to march from the Hennepin County Government Center to demand justice for Jacob Blake who was shot and paralyzed by police in Kenosha, Wis., Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, in Minneapolis. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)
In this Wednesday, May 27, 2020 photo, a looter uses a claw hammer as he tries to break in to a cash register at a Target store in Minneapolis. Rioters ignited fires and looted stores all over the city, as peaceful protests turned increasingly violent in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)
2nd Amendment supporters from all over Virginia come to Richmond for Lobby Day Philip Van Cleave with Virginia Citizens Defense League records video on his phone during the group s caravan advocating Second Amendment rights. (Source: NBC12) By Henry Graff | January 18, 2021 at 2:11 PM EST - Updated January 18 at 11:25 PM
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Whether they were on wheels or on foot, plenty of people showed up for a Second Amendment rally in downtown Richmond.
“We cannot lose that right to self-defense. That’s one of the key cornerstones of this country. That life matters. And that you have a right to protect it,” said Philip Van Cleave, Virginia Citizens Defense League.
About 100 protesters showed up Monday morning to a downtown Richmond fortified in anticipation of their arrival. Flanked by reporters whose numbers nearly matched theirs early in the day, the