(Photo Source: washingtonexaminer.com)

Virginia declares state emergency in reaction to planned protest

Advocates for gun rights are preparing to rally in Richmond, Virginia, today, in order to protest new gun restrictions in the state. But Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, said the protest is backed by violent hate groups. Northam declared a State of Emergency in Virginia, which lasts until Tuesday morning.

“We support citizens’ rights to peacefully protest and express their views to their elected officials. But we must also keep the public, as well as those who work around Capitol Square, safe,” Northam tweeted on January 15th, five days ahead of the planned protests. “This is the right decision. I took this action to protect Virginians from credible threats of violence. These threats are real—as evidenced by reports of neo-Nazis arrested after discussing plans to head to Richmond with firearms.”

Northam said he was worried the Richmond rally would resemble the infamous demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the summer of 2017, when left-wing protesters clashed with white supremacist groups. One woman, Heather Heyer, was killed when a white supremacist drove his car into the crowd.

But critics of Northam say he is unfairly demonizing law-abiding gun owners. Philip Van Cleave, the head of the pro-gun group Virginia Citizens Defense League, said the rally would go on, despite Northam’s State of Emergency declaration.

“The governor and leadership in the Democratic Party have declared war on law-abiding gun owners, and they’re tired of it,” Van Cleave said.