VA Governor Plans Temporary Weapons Ban On Capitol Grounds

RICHMOND, VA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced plans Wednesday to declare a temporary emergency banning all weapons, including guns, from the state Capitol grounds ahead of a massive rally planned for Monday.

With a large number of gun advocates in Virginia and across the country expected to come to Richmond, authorities want to avoid a repeat of the deadly violence that occurred August 2017 in Charlottesville when armed neo-Nazis, white nationalists and Confederate sympathizers sparked violence in the city.

Law enforcement intelligence analysts have identified credible threats of violence surrounding the event, along with white nationalist rhetoric and plans by out-of-state militia groups to attend, Northam said Wednesday at a press conference. Along with prohibiting weapons, Northam's declaration will provide joint law enforcement and public safety agencies the resources they need to keep demonstrators, policymakers and other members of the public safe, according to the governor's office.

"Intellingence shows a threat of armed militia groups storming our Capitol," Northam said at the press conference. "They're not coming to peacefully protest. They're coming to intimidate and cause harm."

"Hate, intimidation and violence have no place here," the governor said.

The emergency declaration will extend from 5 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Tuesday. At the press conference, Northam suggested that members of the public not participating in the rally stay away from downtown Richmond on Monday.

Northam said Virginia is always open for citizens to exercise their First Amendment rights, including meeting with their elected leaders peacefully. "That remains the case this coming Monday," he said.

The executive order declaring the state of emergency, signed by Northam, states: "Virginians understand that diversity of opinion keeps our democracy strong. The more voices involved in our political dialogue, the stronger we are."

"When the civility of that political discourse breaks down, the Commonwealth suffers. Three years ago, Virginia and the nation, watched horrified as civil protest was marred by violence and hate," the executive order states. "The events that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia, demonstrated what can happen when peaceful demonstrations are hijacked by those who come into the Commonwealth and do not value the importance of peaceful assembly. We lost three Virginians. We must take all precautions to prevent that from ever happening again."

Last week, Democratic leaders used a special rules committee to ban guns inside the Virginia state Capitol and a legislative office building. That ban did not include Capitol grounds, which are under the governor's control and are where gun-rights advocates are expected to rally Monday, according to the report.

More than 100 counties, cities and towns have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries and vowed to oppose any new "unconstitutional restrictions" on guns. The Virginia Mercury news site reported Wednesday that the landmark Heller decision, "the Roe v. Wade of the gun rights movement," firmly established the individual right to bear arms and affirmed the compatibility of gun laws and the Second Amendment.

In the same article, Virginia Mercury Editor-in-Chief Robert Zullo noted that a sporting goods store in Colonial Heights, south of Richmond, has been running radio ads warning about misinformation getting spread by run-rights advocates.

"By now you are aware that there are a lot of proposed gun laws coming to our state. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of rumors being spread plus fear-mongering and 'fake news.' As your local, family-owned dealer of firearms and outdoor sporting goods for over 43 years, we're working to eliminate the fake news by engaging and talking with our state legislature every day to help keep you intelligently informed," the store, Dance's Sporting Goods, wrote on its website, with instructions on how to contact lawmakers.