2020 VCDL Lobby Day


The Lobby Day 2020 was a peaceful gun rights rally that took place on January 20, 2020 at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia. The rally was an extension of the Second Amendment sanctuary movement and was organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Fears of violence by neo-Nazis prompted the governor of Virginia to declare a state of emergency ahead of the event.

Background

Virginia's Lobby Day is an annual event, held each year on MLK Day 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 and state Senate was elected in 2019, alongside incumbent Democratic governor Ralph Northam, along with fears of the passage of pending, stringent gun control legislation. President Donald Trump also acknowledged the event, and stated that the United States Constitution was "under very serious attack" in the state 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 of the neo-Nazi group The Base—of which were hostile to the beliefs of the protesters—were arrested by the FBI days before the event. According to FBI documents, the three members were discussing "the planning of violence at a specific event in Virginia, scheduled for January 20, 2020."

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, Republican Delegate Nick Freitas, and Republican Delegate John McGuire. The event concluded peacefully.
A 21-year-old woman from Richmond was arrested for wearing a bandanna across her face; she was released on her own recognizance. Those charges were reportedly dropped at a later date.