By Steve Pomper | January 31, 2020
Now that Virginia’s annual gun rights rally is over and the catastrophic predictions have been proven unfounded, some reflection on the pre-event Democrat hyperbole is warranted. By all accounts, the rally, held on and adjacent the state capitol grounds in Richmond was well attended and peaceful.
Police reported no disturbances or arrests. This despite Gov. Ralph Northam’s firearms freak out about “Intel” showing “credible threats” of violence by “white supremacists/nationalists” at the rally. Even the Washington Post reported, “Weapons, flags, no violence: Massive pro-gun rally in Virginia capital.”
Did anyone else wonder about these “credible threats?” Without the threats the Gov. would not have been able to declare his convenient “state of emergency,” but there the were.
But don’t we have to doubt pro-post-birth abortion (murder), anti-gun rights Democrat Governor Black Face? Look how conveniently the Democrats in Congress come up with “witnesses” and “incidents” that just happen to align with whatever narrative they decide to push against the Republicans and always just when they need it. Why should it be any different at the state level?
What are the odds such reports of threatened violence were either conjured or exaggerated? Oh, some idiot probably made online threats. That happens all the time. But we’d be ill advised not to question the honesty-challenged Gov’s sources, vetting, and (over) reaction.
Or, perhaps real fringe white supremacists groups spouted online threats (like they do), but did Northam and the Democrat media negligently associate the threats with the rally’s organizers? Or, with the left, it’s not out of the question that leftists posing as white supremacists uttered the threats. It’s all about making gun owners look bad, right? What wouldn’t the left do?
The annual gathering of gun rights activists had particular significance this year because of Northam and the state’s newly minted majority Democrat legislature’s all-out onslaught against the Second Amendment.
According to WRIC News, “Dozens of gun control bills are quickly moving through the 2020 legislative session.” They include “red flag” laws, limiting gun purchases, so-called universal background checks, and allowing localities to establish “gun-free zones,” meaning allowing localities to infringe on Virginians’ Second Amendment rights.
Proponents assert the new laws will, “save lives in the commonwealth.” Yeah, criminal’s lives when Virginia’s Democrat leadership ensures the people no longer have a right to effective self-defense.
Virginia’s Democrat overreach and assault on gun rights has resulted in most of the commonwealth’s counties declaring themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries.” At least one county has also passed a militia resolution. And at least one county sheriff has said he’d deputize all county residents authorized to own a firearm, to protect their rights.
Mark Cheeseman reminded people, on WTVR, “It’s a right, that’s it. Just like your First Amendment Right, Freedom of Speech, Fourth Amendment Right, Sixth Amendment Right, 14th Amendment Right, which leads back to the Second. There’s really no argument. It’s non-negotiable.”
Mr. Cheeseman’s gun rights argument seems obvious, but the pre-rally reactions raise other concerns about Virginia’s Democrat-controlled government beyond the legislature. During the run up to the rally, gun rights groups went to court to block Northam’s gun ban on the capitol grounds. The judge denied their motion. And then the state’s Supreme Court refused to review their appeal.
The governor’s ban was an obvious infringement on not only gun rights but by extension, possibly, the right to assemble. It’s kind of like allowing a group of motorcyclists to hold a rally but banning their motorcycles. Motorcycles are legal to own and possess in Virginia and so are guns (at least, for now).
So, bottom line, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, today, the Governor can unilaterally ban guns on capitol grounds by declaring a dubious state of emergency, which infringes on the people’s gun rights. Then the people go to the courts for remedy, and the courts rebuff the people’s plea to protect their rights. Then the demeanor of the rally proves the over-caution was totally unwarranted, but gun-owners are left abused by their governor, legislature, and courts. And you can toss the media in there for good measure.
Where does that leave the people, and how does it make them feel about a government supposedly of the people is unresponsive to such basic, inherent rights? We’re not talking about something arbitrary. We’re talking about a bona fide constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Regardless of what the anti-gun rights crowd thinks about that right, Americans still have a natural, unalienable right to arm themselves for self-defense.
Despite Gov. Northam’s anti-Second Amendment hysteria, gun rights leaders advised attendees to obey the laws, and the House Republican leader, Todd Gilbert, admonished any “hate” groups, such as white supremacists who wanted to spread their “garbage,” were not welcome and advised to stay away from the event.
The gun rights group organizing the rally, the Virginia Citizen’s Defense League, urged 10,000 people to attend the rally on state house grounds unarmed. But they also called for “two to five” people to attend the rally off capitol grounds armed. Post-rally reports estimate the rally attracted some 22,000 American gun owners affirming their rights.
President Trump endorsed the rally tweeting, “Your 2nd Amendment is under very serious attack in the Commonwealth of Virginia. That’s what happens when you vote for Democrats, they will take your guns away.” He’s right. Again, this is not your grandparent’s Democrat Party. And, perhaps, the Republican Party will actually put up a fight for the legislature in Virginia next election.
This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
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