At tense Virginia rally, demonstrators reject extremists, defend law-abiding gun owners

[Devil Child]

Source: NBC

RICHMOND, Va. ─ Thousands of gun-rights activists, banned from carrying their weapons out of fear of violence, crammed into the Virginia Capitol on Monday to urge state lawmakers to reject sweeping measures to limit the spread of firearms.

The rally, planned for weeks as part of a citizen-lobbying tradition held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, has focused national attention on Virginia's attempts to enact new gun regulations, pushed by Democrats who took control of the Statehouse for the first time in 26 years. Gun control supporters say they are acting on voters' wishes, propelled by a May mass shooting in Virginia Beach.

Gun-rights proponents warn that the measures ─ including universal background checks, a ban on military-style rifles and a bill that would allow authorities to temporarily take guns from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others ─ will snowball into attempts to disarm the public.

"We will not comply," activists chanted from both sides of a security fence ringing the Capitol grounds. The crowd was largely white and diverse in age, with most wearing orange stickers saying "Guns save lives." Many rode chartered buses from all over the state, then waited hours in line to get into the Capitol grounds before passing through airport-style security. On the other side of the fence, large crowds formed and many activists openly carried firearms, including long guns. Many also wore camouflage and military gear.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tense-virginia-rally-gun-rights-supporters-chant-we-will-not-n1118811

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Massive crowd of gun-owners peacefully demonstrating in defense of their Constitutional rights. A wonderful sight to see. Even better with ZERO arrests and ZERO violence from a crowd that had many participants openly carrying arms. The media was salivating at the prospect of having another Charlottesville and spared no effort in framing defense of the Second Amendment as far-right white supremacist extremism.

[guillaumeb]

1. These same people were outraged that they could not openly carry their weapons at the event.

What exactly are these people so afraid of that they feel a need to carry weapons everywhere that they go?

Guns do not save lives. Guns are designed to take lives, and many lives are lost every year in the US because a tiny fraction of citizens feel this need to carry guns everywhere.

[Liberalhammer]

2. They are all

Trump supporting racist nationalist to me.

[empedocles]

3. On MLK Day?

[guillaumeb]

4. And carrying guns.

Like their leader, they have no shame.

[YOHABLO]

5. Got the camo, got the gun, probably some confederate flags waving. Just posers, that's all.

It's like halloween for these nut jobs.

[oldsoftie]

6. I guess they have the right to be there like anyone else. Could've gone badly. Glad it didnt.

And yes, there were many HOPING for trouble. And you'll see some folks here paint all participants as being the same by the broad brush of condescension.

[Devil Child]

9. That you will oldsoftie, they wield that big brush frequently when posting

Take care my friend!

[Liberalhammer]

14. I will

What law abiding gun owner would be buying more than 1 handgun a month and not be against universal background checks.

Like someone needs 12 handguns a year.

The racist Virginia rally on MLK day is extremist to the core and anyone who went are extremist.

These same people could carelessly less about the 40k a year that die via firearms, as long as they can masturbate with their arsenals.

Their guns are more important than others lives. Their liberty is bathed in the murder of innocents.

[oldsoftie]

18. That wasnt their main gripe. It was the classification law that would encompass most guns

And i doubt the black people who were there thought it was a white supremacist rally. Were there a LOT of them? No. But they were there. And they werent harassed. 20000+ people & ONE arrest is hardly a radical gathering.

[Liberalhammer]

28. Republicans are traitors and

2nd amendment purists like you use your weapons as a threat of violence to intimidate any gun control laws.

If you protest with the oath keepers then you support them.

[oldsoftie]

38. I think open carry is for suckers.

Therefore your point is moot. If I AM carrying a weapon, no one ever knows it, so there is no perceived threat of violence to anyone

[fallout87]

24. What business is it of yours?

If a law abiding gun owner wants to buy two guns in one month? This is about control and that's why they are fighting back. Again, those that assembled are representing law abiding gun owners, not the criminals. This is what the whole fight in Virginia is about.

And your facts are wrong, 30k dead per year, over 2/3 (20k) are suicides. Might want to do a little more research lest you make yourself look ignorant.

[Liberalhammer]

25. So you need 2 hanguns a month?

Total of 24 a year, how many can be sold for a profit to whomever has the cash?

You have the NRA points down to a tee!

Why is it that law abiding gun owners are fine with children getting gunned down in school or 20k committing suicide?

[fallout87]

27. Is it the bill of rights or bill of needs?

Serious question because you are asking what someone "needs"

[Liberalhammer]

29. Are you part of a milita?

You must be a MAGAT, or a wanna be slave owner.

[Liberalhammer]

30. When they want to sell them.

And become a straw seller to people who shouldn't own guns.

Time to make all legal purchases background checked, so they have their right to life, before being gunned down by a mass murder.

So much for the actuall constitution.

I guess everyone else's rights don't mean crap to your wanting an arsenal. A true conservative principle. Maybe you would find more like minds on Breitbart.

[fallout87]

34. I dont appreciate the personal attack

which is against the board rules. If you cannot get your point across without resorting to immature insults, maybe you should turn the computer off and go for a walk?

[Devil Child]

37. Sensible advice fallout87

It’s quite telling when a poster has to resort to vile personal attacks like the examples on display here.

[Freddie]

31. So why is the huge # of gun suicides "acceptable"?

How many of them would still be with us if they didn’t have something instantly fatal available when they made an impulsive decision?

[fallout87]

35. None are...

But to pretend that suicides are a gun problem is asinine.

[Freddie]

41. Wrong

A HS classmate of my son killed himself with his father’s gun. Teenagers have little impulse control. If he didn’t have something instantly fatal on hand he’d still be with us.

[fallout87]

42. You dont know that.

Unfortunately there are plenty of other ways depressed persons can off themselves.

[rockfordfile]

32. The NRA is a un-American organization

[Liberalhammer]

26. Anytime you mention gun control

The NRA trolls come out of hiding on DU, like you two.

[oldsoftie]

39. The NRA is a joke & rips off its members. I wish it would go away.

Next.

[Bradical79]

21. Leftist counterprotesters weren't there for the most part

out of safety concerns. Wasn't really a group to start trouble with.

[oldsoftie]

40. But all those GUNS and 20000+ crazies there SHOULD have been trouble.

To hear folks here tell it anyway.

[wysi]

7. Cosplay losers...

... with teeny-tiny dicks.

[yaesu]

8. well played

[empedocles]

10. Did not notice 'demonstrators reject extremists' evidenced in the link

[Cirque du So-What]

12. I haven't seen evidence of this either:

The media was salivating at the prospect of having another Charlottesville and spared no effort in framing defense of the Second Amendment as far-right white supremacist extremism.

Sounds a bit overwrought to me.

[Tom Rinaldo]

16. You kidding? That was obvious

No bombs have gone off. No rocket launchers were used. See, extremism rejected.

[Bradical79]

22. Yup.

They were chanting extremist anti-press talking points, listening to some pretty extreme speakers, and hanging out with a lot of white supremecists. And having seen the chartered busses bringing people in, it was a bunch of extremists filing out.

Also, there were probably more subtle signs of Nazis, and other hate groups, that can go unnoticed by many journalists. For example, people wearing RWDS patches. It means "Right Wing Death Squad".

Hell, Trump himself is an extremist who promotes racism, violence, murder, and genocide.

[Kaiserguy]

11. All this because Virginia

wants to enact some common sense gun laws that will help to protect the children and other innocent people from harm. The laws will cause no real harm to law abiding gun owner. You would think that they might have a little concern for the lives of children seem not. Talk about snowflakes.

[onetexan]

13. This out of sheer selfishness IMO

They don't think of the children or innocent folks, only of themselves and their own rights. What's that old adage - 'your rights end where mine begins'?

[atreides1]

15. Well

With those that buy more then 1 gun a month, possibly from private dealers, this affects there ability to sell guns to those who can't legally possess them or to even export guns from Virginia to places like New York.

In other words, the new laws will hit them in the wallet...just an opinion of course...

[Archae]

17. Some of the gun kooks "will not comply" when they hear the Pledge of Allegiance.

[Above: At the gun-laden march in Richmond, VA, counter-protestors recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the US flag, and the militia-types respond -- to the pledge of allegiance -- with the chant "We will not comply"]

https://crooksandliars.com/2020/01/virginia-militia-wont-comply-pledge

[mathematic]

19. "citizen-lobbying tradition" is a hell of a euphemism

For "annual klan meeting".

[Grins]

20. "The media was salivating..."?

“ The media was salivating at the prospect of having another Charlottesville...”

Sorry. Evidence?

[Bradical79]

23. Were they going to fight each other?

Why wouldn't it be non-violent if the counter protestors stayed home? That's what I saw from all the usual groups, and why I wasn't really that concerned about violence. Their organizers told protesters to stay home because of all the extremists with firearms. Luckily, some who were planning violence and murder were also arrested the prior week.

[rockfordfile]

33. Cut the un-American far-right propaganda.

universal background checks? if you're against that, then you have something to hide. Perhaps you're a terrorist? Who knows?

military-style rifles? Why would you want one unless you're in the military. Again something a terrorist would want.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

36. If you're against universal background checks and *for* military weapons...

You must be the NRA.

They’re Russian.