RICHMOND, Va. — Thousands of demonstrators from across the nation joined forces to rally at the Virginia Capitol area on Lobby Day to fight for the protection of their Second Amendment rights.
The organized rally was spearheaded by the Virginia Citizens Defense League in retaliation to three proposed gun safety bills (Senate Bill 35, Senate Bill 70, and Senate Bill 69) that will now go to the house for consideration. The bills each could impact the lives of many gun holders in the state of Virginia. To some degree, many gun owners believe the push for the new legislation is the "greatest threat to gun rights Virginians have faced in modern times!"
The organization has advocated for what is called "Second Amendment sanctuary" resolutions in over 130 counties and municipalities around the Commonwealth. Though such measures carry no legal weight, the VCDL says it is still a defiant gesture against tighter legislation.
Despite the efforts of several cities and counties in Virginia declaring themselves a Second Amendment sanctuary, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring plans to release his legal opinion that proposed gun laws will still be enforced.
The VCDL has since worked to bring gun owners from near and far to make a stand.
"If you care about your gun rights in the slightest then it is vital that show up at the rally!" VCDL said on its website.
The VCDL called Virginia's Lobby Day its "biggest and most important event of the year." The organization has been in the works for this rally since the beginning of the month. The plan was to pack up the General Assembly building with members wearing their 'Guns Save Lives' gear and gather at the Capitol steps.
VCDL President Phillip Van Cleave said in a statement that lobby day is about lobbying for "no more gun control" in Virginia.
VCDL was founded in 1994 as a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization aimed at advancing and protecting the Second Amendment rights of Virginia residents as it is stated in the United States Constitution and Article I Section 13 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
In recent years, the VCDL has stopped hundreds of gun-control bills, held gun safety campaigns, and states that they are the only organization to get pro-gun bills introduced in every legislative session since 1997.
Since its founding, the organization has grown in membership statewide and has made it its mission to fight and restore gun rights by "going on the offensive" and "lobbying."
Assault rifles, sniper rifles and shotguns among demonstrators at VA Lobby Day
