Virginia 2nd Amend. Activists Make Last-Ditch Effort To Avoid Ugly Clash
Supporters of our constitutional right to bear arms are set to march in Richmond on Monday in defiance of state Democrats’ gun control efforts.
As backers of the Second Amendment, many of the tens of thousands expected to attend are virtually guaranteed to come bearing arms.
Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has acknowledged that the rallygoers can assemble, but seemingly only in the way he chooses.
This week, the governor enacted an executive order temporarily banning firearms and weapons, including shields and helmets, on the Capitol Square.
While Northam claims his order is based on credible threats, it’s not sitting well with Second Amendment activists who have already seen how hellbent the commonwealth’s Democrats are on gun control.
Two groups behind the rally, the Virginia Citizens Defense League and Gun Owners of America, decided to try the legal route, and challenged Northam’s executive order by filing a lawsuit Thursday, one day after the governor’s decree.
Unfortunately, the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported that the Richmond Circuit Court judge overseeing the case shot down the gun groups’ attempt to flex their constitutional rights.
Undeterred, the groups doubled down and made one last-ditch effort to avoid a confrontation in Richmond.
Later that same day, the groups filed an emergency appeal with the Virginia Supreme Court.
Time is against the patriots however, as Friday marks the beginning of a four-day holiday weekend for both Lee-Jackson Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
It’s unclear how the commonwealth’s highest court will rule, or if they will even do so before the Monday rally.
With rallygoers unwilling to bend on their right to bear arms and Northam seemingly intent on enforcing his order with state and local police, there appears to be a clash brewing.
There are several ways this can be avoided.
If the Virginia Supreme Court pulls through in time and overturns Northam’s order, it will be a non-issue.
Of course, there’s no guarantee the court will decide this way, or if they will even convene on this issue before Monday.
Northam can always choose to not enforce his order. With tens of thousands of people projected to show up, there’s no police force in the nation that can disarm a crowd of that size.
Rolling back his own executive order would be a humiliating blow for Northam and his gun control agenda, but Virginia protesters have defeated anti-firearm laws before simply by showing up to proceedings.
Then there’s the possibility that King George III himself hoped for way back in the 1700s.
This is the hope that, when ordered, citizens will willingly lay down their arms and obey government officials.
Northam may have expected this to happen when he used the full powers of his office to enact the emergency ban, but the chances of this actually occurring are slim.
The governor who some say acts like a king could soon find that rebellion isn’t just a word thrown around by Second Amendment advocates — it’s the very story and spirit of our nation itself.
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