# Thread for Richmond Gun Rally Mon. Jan. 20 **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 18, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598 "2020-01-18T02:59:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/41 "2020-01-20T02:51:04Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Maybe not so racist after all: > > [Antifa Group Marches with 2nd Amendment Protestors](https://www.nationalreview.com/news/antifa-group-to-march-with-pro-gun-protesters-at-virginia-rally/) > > Lots of black people have noticed the historically racist intent of many gun laws. From prohibition against blacks owning guns post-reconstruction to ‘Saturday Night Special’ laws that kept guns out of the hands of poor black people while allowing rich white people to keep their expensive guns, there has often been racist intent in gun laws. > > And smart people notice that it’s oppressed minorities who need the right to self-defense the most. The Antifa group mentioned in that article does support gun rights, but they have issued a statement that their position on this March was mischaracterized. > [@](#): > > We never indicated we were attending as a group, nor did we make any call to action for folks to engage in the way that is being purported. We have monitored this situation closely for weeks and found it to be increasingly dangerous. We spoke to the fact that several leftist gun groups are coming as they’ve stated so publicly. We only spoke to opportunities of counter-recruitment for libertarian and rural folks who don’t normally have access to leftist armed positions and of which the far right intends to recruit from. Many of these same folks have been disgusted to hear of white nationalist planned attendance and vowed to help us get rid of that element. We never announced what capacity we planned on attending and wouldn’t readily make statements like that for an extremely tense situation where the terrain changes daily. We certainly never said we would march with the far right, nor did we ever say we would march at all. [https://antifa7hills.blackblogs.org/](https://antifa7hills.blackblogs.org/) I’d never heard of this group before. But about 6 seconds of Googling revealed that the National Review, predictably, didn’t do a good job reporting this. ::shakes fist at LHOD:: ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/42 "2020-01-20T02:52:36Z")
On the bloody morning after, how many tin soldiers will ride away? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/43 "2020-01-20T04:06:27Z")
To go a bit against the grain here, I think while there will be a turnout, it will not be as many as they think, and while there will be much bold talk and flourishing of weapons, there will be no significant violence in Richmond tomorrow. For one, there has been so much forewarning that the cops will be prepared and in large numbers and most of these guys (and it is, IMHO, mostly guys) really are not looking for a confrontation with armed officers; they want to yell and shout and act rowdy but not too rowdy… Because in the end they do not have what it takes to be revolutionaries. They are not that smart, they are not as organized as one thinks (despite the advantages of twitter and other social media), and despite their talk, they are not going to start an uprising where a large number of them are likely to be shot. Best I can describe them is that they are the modern version of the Copperheads. To give a very brief history (you can google for much more), this was a movement to end the Civil War by taking over the Northern government or splitting the Western states (in this case Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, etc., into an independent nation itself). They held mass rallies, elected Congressmen (see Clement Vallandigham) and took over state legislatures, and talked pretty big at the time…but never steeled themselves to do something that the ruthless men in Washington (and Lincoln, for all his whimsy, was one of the most ruthless men ever in the White House when it came to reaching his goals) would react to violently. I could be wrong. But there has been actions before (Ruby Ridge, Oklahoma City, those nuts in the Park out west) that called for mass support–and got virtually nada. My prediction is the same as those. Much sound and fury, but in the end signifying nothing. IMHO as always. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Fuji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/44 "2020-01-20T04:21:57Z")
Not to overly detract from the ongoing conversation or its real-world seriousness, I found this paragraph from the news link in Post 26 of this thread to be darkly hilarious, particularly the final sentence: “Although the document suggests the group member believed to be Mathews stayed with a Georgia cell member for months, he is later reportedly characterized as “incompetent” and “stupid” and is seen as a liability to the local group. In fact, he eventually becomes a new potential murder target.” ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/45 "2020-01-20T05:19:04Z")
I think that now there have been some arrests, the would-be militia are probably going to play it safe and either not show or show but keep themselves in check. But had it not been for law enforcement apprehension of these homegrown traitors, this could have been ugly. We’re lucky in the sense that these guys were stupid: they wanted attention. I worry about the rabid ideologue who isn’t just talking shit to get his mug spread on the internet but actually wants to wreck people and doesn’t care whether he’s famous or not. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/46 "2020-01-20T06:09:24Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Trump is desperate for a big story that will distract from his impeachment trial—and perhaps more importantly, from the impressive stream of new information about his ‘let’s keep this secret’ activities and those of his henchmen. > > Being so desperate for a big distraction, he is bound to have communicated this priority to many in his circle. In coming hours he may become ever more explicit about this desire, to his Twitter followers. Someone is going to want to provide him with what he craves so anxiously. > > I fear significant violence tomorrow, which is likely to include loss of life. I gotta tell you, I don’t think this is true. Trump is an idiot. He doesn’t want distractions from the impeachment. He wants to crush those who dare impeach him, or at least, tweet a bunch of schoolboy taunts. Inevitably, a different news story comes along at some point and gets our attention because that’s how news works. Then people endow Trump with a caginess his pea brain doesn’t have and claim he found a clever way to distract from the impeachment or whatever we’re all ticked about. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/47 "2020-01-20T08:51:14Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Making them play to no audience does sound appealing, but I really would get a kick out of having that [tuba player from the white supremacists’ march show up…](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs4P1kKK-5k) Alternate camera angle: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XZvWvfCSZ8M/maxresdefault.jpg "Family Guy Stewie follows fat people around with a tuba") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZvWvfCSZ8M) ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/48 "2020-01-20T14:19:03Z")
> **[LIVE UPDATES: Pro-gun rally in Virginia ends peacefully](https://www.wtvr.com/2020/01/20/gun-rights-rally-richmond-virginia)** > > State officials estimate 22,000 attended Richmond gun rally A lot of people there. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/49 "2020-01-20T14:44:10Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > [https://wtvr.com/2020/01/20/gun-rights-rally-richmond-virginia/](https://wtvr.com/2020/01/20/gun-rights-rally-richmond-virginia/) > > A lot of people there. God look at those little weirdos playing dress up. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/50 "2020-01-20T14:58:10Z")
But Alex Jones is there, I’m sure he’ll provide a calming influence. (He’s also in the gun free zone, maybe he’s a bit concerned?) ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/51 "2020-01-20T16:05:13Z")
Just a [quick indication](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/01/20/virginia-gun-rally-updates/) of the judiciousness of the attendees. > [@](#): > > Elsewhere in the crowd, Justin Burns, 19, and his friend Spencer George, 30, flaunted their own arsenals: Both had strapped assault-style rifles across their chests, with bullets visible in the clips. Spanning the men’s bulletproof vests were more ammo clips. > > The duo, both welders, had driven 10 hours to attend the rally. They brought the rifles, Burns said, in case anything goes wrong. > > “All it takes is one person to make a bad decision and fire off a round for things to go sideways,” Burns said. Yes, I agree this rally is a potentially volatile situation where a mistake in judgement could lead to a cascade of violence. And the reason that this situation is so volatile is idiots like you with more bullets than brains, who think the solution to chaotic gun fire is more chaotic gunfire.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/52 "2020-01-20T18:41:11Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > [https://wtvr.com/2020/01/20/gun-rights-rally-richmond-virginia/](https://wtvr.com/2020/01/20/gun-rights-rally-richmond-virginia/) > > A lot of people there. All the headlines I’m seeing just say “thousands.” Is that three, 50, or 100 thousand? Big difference. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/53 "2020-01-20T18:58:43Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > All the headlines I’m seeing just say “thousands.” Is that three, 50, or 100 thousand? Big difference. From the [washington post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/01/20/virginia-gun-rally-updates/) > [@](#): > > Roughly 6,000 people passed through secure checkpoints to enter the fenced-off, weapons-free secure area inside Capitol Square on Monday, according to Virginia Public Safety Secretary Brian Moran. Thousands more remained in the streets, where they were permitted to carry weapons. So probably in the vicinity of 10,000 maybe more. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/54 "2020-01-20T19:05:40Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > From the [washington post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/01/20/virginia-gun-rally-updates/) > > So probably in the vicinity of 10,000 maybe more. So to protest the disarming of The American Patriot, they allowed themselves to be disarmed. Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/55 "2020-01-20T19:52:28Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > From the [washington post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/01/20/virginia-gun-rally-updates/) > > So probably in the vicinity of 10,000 maybe more. Thanks. 🙂 This is a preview of what we’re going to see surrounding the White House if trump loses the election. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/56 "2020-01-20T20:12:35Z")
> [@](#): > > Jesse Lambert was dressed in a mix of Colonial-era minute-man garb and cargo pants, with a Colt rifle strapped across his back. He said he traveled from Louisiana to show opposition to the gun control bills. He said Democrats’ efforts would unfairly punish law-abiding gun owners, particularly those who own AR-style rifles. > > “These are your average common people carrying firearms that are in common use,” he said. :dubious: “In common use” where? Define “common”. Define “use”. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/57 "2020-01-20T21:19:26Z")
Credit where it’s due, from what I’m hearing, the organizers have managed to keep this a bloodless event. I wasn’t expecting that, so good job, gun rights folks. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/58 "2020-01-20T21:24:23Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Credit where it’s due, from what I’m hearing, the organizers have managed to keep this a bloodless event. I wasn’t expecting that, so good job, gun rights folks. I mean, that’s setting the bar pretty low, but yeah, congrats to them for fairly earning their “We Didn’t Murder Anybody Today” merit badge. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/59 "2020-01-20T21:25:01Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > From the [washington post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/01/20/virginia-gun-rally-updates/) > > So probably in the vicinity of 10,000 maybe more. This article from a local news outlet says 22,000. > **[LIVE UPDATES: Pro-gun rally in Virginia ends peacefully](https://www.wtvr.com/2020/01/20/gun-rights-rally-richmond-virginia)** > > State officials estimate 22,000 attended Richmond gun rally Sounds about right from what I’ve seen. Because one thing I noticed is that the actual rally area, where guns were NOT allowed, wasn’t really incredibly crowded. But the streets outside were ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598/60 "2020-01-20T21:45:40Z")
The attendance statistics I’m seeing are a bit mixed up. Was it “hundreds” in the fenced-in no-guns zone and 6000 more outside? Or was is 6,000 in the no-gun zone and even more outside? I imagined it would be an all-day morning-to-night hate-fest with tiki torches after dark. Apparently it didn’t happen like that at all. Did it actually wind down and dissipate after just a few hours? Good on the gun nuts, I guess, for keeping it civil. From what I read, there were NO arrests, NO violence, and only a small handful of very minor incidents. They even left NO litter behind. Were any minds changed? Will the peaceful nature of the event lead more legislators to vote _against_ the gun-control proposals? Will the rally prove to be a success in that respect? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thread-for-richmond-gun-rally-mon-jan-20/846598.md?page=4)