President Trump on Friday declared the Second Amendment is “under very serious attack” in Virginia amid a contentious gun debate in the commonwealth and ahead of a controversial gun-rights rally in Richmond on Monday.
“Your 2nd Amendment is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia,” the president tweeted.
Thousands of gun-rights advocates are expected to attend a rally organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League Monday.
Earlier this week, Gov. Ralph Northam, D-Va., declared a state of emergency and said he is temporarily banning individuals from carrying firearms and other weapons on Capitol grounds ahead of the rally for fear of a repeat of the violence law enforcement was ill-prepared to deal with at another rally in Charlottesville more than two years ago.
Pro-gun activists have challenged that order. But a Richmond Circuit Court judge upheld Northam’s order, denying a lawsuit brought forth by the Virginia Citizens Defense League as well as Gunowners of America seeking an injunction against the Democratic governor’s ban.
Meanwhile, FBI agents on Thursday arrested a former Canadian armed forces reservist and two other men linked to a violent white-supremacist group, who were believed to be heading to the rally.
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is also known as “Lobby day” in Virginia politics as advocates for a number of causes use the holiday to try and buttonhole lawmakers. It’s also traditionally when pro-gun and gun-control advocates hold rallies. – READ MORE