Ralph Northam

Pro-gun activists gather in the U.S. city of Richmond for a rally, the Virginia-authorities fear could become violent.

the Governor of The State Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency before the protest, a prohibition of firearms from the area around The Capitol building.

The Lobby day rally is have angered an annual Event , but several gun-control bills of exchange in January by the Democrat-led Virginia Legislature - in a state where the gun rights in the past, already Permissive , gun owners and activists.

Virginia citizens Defense League, a gun rights group, said organised the rally, expected that More Than 50,000 people. Many of the buses laid on from the neighbouring States were sold before the weekend.

to visit the Various groups, including the armed Militia of the extreme right and The Local anti-fascist or anti-fascist movement, which was expected.

Christian Yingling, who led the Pennsylvania light foot Militia , during the violent clashes in Charlottesville in the year 2017, told the BBC he was hoping for a great turnout.

"I'd like to see a lot of people, I really would. I know from the chatter online that a lot of the Militia types coming from some distance Away . Texas , Illinois, elsewhere," he said.

He said he hoped that the rally would have ended peacefully, but not feared, it would - "I think there is a huge potential for something to go wrong. "

in the night of Monday in a rural municipality of Halle, about 20 miles South of Richmond, dozens of people from different militias had gathered to talk about the tactics for the next day and about the wider threat to gun rights that she saw in Virginia.

As Greg Trojan, one of the founders of the VCDL, asked how many people travelled to the hob in from outside of The State , More Than half of the hands. Many at The Meeting said they hoped for a quiet day. Some said they expected violence.

"I am. Since I was in Charlottesville, I was at the Boston free speech rally. I see what it can be, and this is what I fear," said Tammy Lee, the Militia organizer from Oklahoma. "There are a lot of angry people to come. There are a lot of uneducated visitors. It will be volatile. I pray I'm wrong, but I Don 't think so. "

the democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg was a frequent target for its expenditure on Gun Control efforts. The Governor of The State of Mr Northam - "Don 't let win The Evil bastard," said Mr. Trojan, completes a speech in The Room .

Cory Kepner, who said traveled down from Pennsylvania, he would go to the rally, armed with his gun, but hoped it would be peaceful. "I'm more of a thinker than in the wrong kind of guy," he said.

President Donald Trump risked exacerbating the tensions, as he tweeted on Saturday: "the 2. Change is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia. This is what happens when you take Away their voice for the Democrats, their weapons. "

The prohibition of weapons around the Richmond Capitol building, was challenged by gun rights groups but supported by state Supreme Court over the weekend, and the organizers, the VCDL, called for "10,000 "patriots" to hand their guns to Someone Else , and give The Capitol unarmed.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued temporary flight restrictions over The City to fly so that it is illegal, aircraft, or drones.

the Virginia Legislature , which approved the Democrats won control in November, has three gun-control bills. This would be:

the Governor Northam , who has Gun Control a top priority for his government, said he hoped to pass all three measures.

The FBI announced last week seven members of a neo-Nazi extremist group were arrested, known as The Base ,

The arrests underlined the extent to which the Lobby-the day of the rally, which had been seized on by right-wing extremists. Some of these groups, including The Base , Express your goal as a call to Race War in the United States.

Megan Squires, an expert in online extremism from the Elon University in North Carolina , said the open discussion of incitement to violence in extremist Online Chat groups had suddenly been silent arrests in The Wake of the FBI.

"In December, when this Event was announced, these types of groups were very excited about this Event , Calling it the boogaloo, and say it was going to kick-off was in the race," She Said . "But More Than 48 Hours , the tenor in this telegram-groups significantly shifted, and I think this is because the seven arrests. "

The Event was killed, in comparison to the deadly white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville in the year 2017, where a 32-year-old counter was protester from a rally driver, and violent conflicts erupted in The City between rally-goers and Antifa.

But The Local Virginia Antifa Chapter and other left-wing groups announced that they intended to March with the pro-gun-protesters on Monday, instead of against it - apparently a reduction in the likelihood of violent clashes.

The rally will be held on Martin Luther King day - a holiday to honor the civil rights leader. In Richmond, police chain-link barriers around The Capitol , in anticipation of the crowds, and streets were cordoned off. Someone is trying to enter the area around the capital has to pass through a metal detector.

Mr. Yingling said he thought that The Sheer number of weapons present, would act as a deterrent for anyone thinking forcibly. "If you have that many weapons in circulation that people tend to act respectful," he said.

Source of news: bbc.com