A swath of people who may or may not want to literally fuck a gun gathered at Virginia's capitol on Monday. Among the things they said, per an NBC Newsreport, was a chanted take on "We will not comply."
As for what it is with which the pro-gun group will not comply, Gov. Ralph Northam and state General Assembly Democrats have vowed to pass new gun safety measures including a "red flag law" that would allow local authorities to temporarily acquire firearms from anyone determined to be a danger to themselves or those around them.
The crowd has been described by those on the ground as mostly white. Some were seen wearing "Guns save lives" stickers, while others brought homemade signs emblazoned with similar messages. The rally, organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, was preceded earlier this month by the arrests of multiple members of neo-Nazi group the Base. Some of those members, according to authorities, had plans on attending the Virginia rally.
Trump, of course, has commented on the rally. In a misleading tweet, he told his followers that Democrats in Virginia "are working hard to take away your 2nd Amendment rights." Within hours, he had also tweeted out a trio of USA chants.
As pointed out in a handy USA Todayexplainer on the measures at the root of the Virginia rally, similar laws and proposals in other states have not been determined as violations of the Second Amendment.
A state of emergency was declared in the region last week by Gov. Northam that barred guns from Capitol grounds. Below, peruse at your own risk footage and photos from Monday's rally, with some added commentary from those who support the new gun safety measures:
