Virginia Declares State of Emergency After Armed Militias Threaten to Storm the Capitol

The governor said law enforcement had intercepted “extremist rhetoric” similar to the lead-up to Charlottesville days before pro-gun activists are holding a rally.

In response to what he described as “credible intelligence” of threats of violence at an upcoming gun rights rally in Richmond, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency and will temporarily ban individuals from carrying firearms on Capitol grounds.

The governor said at a press conference Wednesday that authorities believe “armed militia groups plan to storm the Capitol” during the January 20 rally.

He also said that law enforcement had intercepted threats and “extremist rhetoric” similar to what was observed prior to the violent Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in August 2017. “We will not allow that mayhem and violence to happen here,” he said.

The decision to ban all weapons, including firearms, won’t sit well with the thousands of gun lovers who are expected to descend on Richmond to participate in what was billed as an open-carry affair and an opportunity to flex Second Amendment rights.

Scientists Spent 20 Years Scaring Our Kids with a Climate Model They Knew Was Flawed

Can Keisha Lance Bottoms deliver the Georgia win Stacey Abrams could not?

Scott Jennings Delivers Reality Check to People Blaming Jews for Thomas Massie’s Loss

New website puts Platner on notice by amplifying scandals: ‘One red flag after another’

Fox News Poll: 30% think recent Trump assassination attempt was staged

Murdaugh ‘egg juror’ fights to crack open jury tampering investigation with records in court clerk scandal

Influencer mom, lawyer dad accused of dark-web murder plot against boy-band baby daddy

Former prosecutor charged for disguising sealed Jack Smith report as cake recipe

The Last Leg of Stephen Colbert’s Far-Left Farewell Tour Reminds Us Exactly Why CBS Canceled Him

Trump roasts Dem candidate as unelectable for cardinal sin in Texas

Transcript: Washington Examiner’s full interview with White House border czar Tom Homan

Jeff Bezos Gives AOC a Basic Economics Lesson After She Claims No One Can ‘Earn’ Billions

‘Babydog Justice’ back from surgery and feeling ‘paws-atively better’

‘Hunter Biden’ X account debuts with eyebrow-raising claim as GOP lawmakers pile on

Cuban ex-President Raul Castro indicted on charges including murder, conspiracy to kill US nationals

“No weapons will be allowed on Capitol grounds,” said Northam, a Democrat. “Everything from sticks and bats to chains and projectiles…. The list also includes firearms. It makes no sense to ban every other weapon but allow firearms when intelligence shows that armed militia groups plan to storm the Capitol.”

On the Facebook page for the rally, several attendees are already saying they won’t comply and leave their weapons at home — even though Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has vowed a hard line on rule-breakers. “Violations of the law will not be tolerated,” Stoney said.

The January 20 event, dubbed “Lobby Day,” was organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a pro-Second Amendment nonprofit, in response to new gun control legislation introduced by the Democrat state Legislature. Northam acknowledged that the organizers had been planning the rally for some time. “I believe them when they say this is a peaceful event — that’s what democracy is,” said Northam. “Unfortunately, they have unleashed something much larger, something they may not be able to control.”

Upwards of 5,000 people said on the Facebook page that they plan to attend. Event organizers have warned the state that as many as 100,000 could show up.

A website for the rally shows that at least 60 buses are scheduled to transport attendees into Richmond on Monday. And there’s word that carpools are being organized. What’s more, armed militia groups are also planning to attend, and some have even described the event as a “boogaloo” — a term that the far right uses to describe a second civil war.