The Lobby Day 2020 was a

gun rights The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, including securi ...

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sports ...

that took place on January 20, 2020 at the

Virginia State Capitol The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government of the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third capital city of the U.S. state of Virginia. (The first two were Jamestown and Williamsburg.) It houses the oldest elected ...

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. The rally was an extension of the

Second Amendment sanctuary Second Amendment sanctuary, also known as a gun sanctuary, refers to states, counties, or localities in the United States that have adopted laws or Non-binding resolution, resolutions to prohibit or impede the enforcement of certain gun control ...

movement and was organized by the

Virginia Citizens Defense League Philip Van Cleave (born 1952 in Kankakee, Illinois) is an American gun rights advocate and the president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL). In 2018, he appeared on the show '' Who is America?'' where he instructed preschool children ...

. Fears of violence by

neo-Nazis Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack ...

prompted the governor of Virginia to declare a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

ahead of the event.

Background

Virginia's Lobby Day is an annual event, held each year on

MLK Day Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

and created by the Virginia Citizens Defense League. The annual rally began about 17 years ago. The 2020 rally received international attention and a greater turnout than previous years because a Democratic majority in both the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

and

state Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

was elected in 2019, alongside incumbent Democratic governor

Ralph Northam Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

, along with fears of the passage of pending, stringent

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with on ...

legislation. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

also acknowledged the event, and stated that the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

was "under very serious attack" in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

State of emergency

Governor Ralph Northam received advance warning that "out-of-state militia groups and hate groups" were planning to come to the event to "intimidate and to cause harm" to the demonstrators, which led him to declare a state of emergency ahead of the event. Three members, including two US citizens and one Canadian national, of the neo-Nazi group The Base—of which were hostile to the beliefs of the protesters—were arrested in Maryland by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

days before the event and charged with harboring illegal aliens, unlawful possession and interstate transportation of a machine gun with intent to commit a felony, and, for the Canadian national, being an alien in possession of firearms and ammunition. Although initial reporting on the arrest of the three neo-Nazis implied a connection to the VCDL rally, neither press release from the US Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland nor the court documents from the prosecution of the arrested neo-Nazis stated they planned to attend the rally. The group hoped that the rally would kickstart a second civil war, which would culminate with a neo-Nazi coup of the United States Government.

Demonstration

A reported 22,000 people demonstrated, less than half of the number of attendees predicted by the rally's organizers. Speakers at the event included Republican State Senator

Amanda Chase Amanda Chase (née Freeman; born December 1, 1969) is an American conservative politician. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Virginia Senate for the 11th District, representing Amelia County, the city of Colonial Heights, and part of C ...

, Republican Delegate

Nick Freitas Nicholas J. Freitas (born August 29, 1979) is an American politician. A Republican, he has been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates since 2015.Bill BarteVirginia Republican Senate candidates repeatedly attack Obama, barely mention Kaine, ...

, and Republican Delegate John McGuire. The event concluded peacefully.

References

External links

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. BRIAN MARK LEMLEY, JR

United States v. Lemley, Jr. (8:20-mj-00192)
{{DEFAULTSORT:VCDL Lobby Day, 2020 2020 in American politics VCDL Lobby Day 2020 protests 2020 controversies in the United States Gun politics in the United States January 2020 events in the United States Protests in Virginia