The appearance of the sheriffs coincided with a move by multiple Virginia counties to declare themselves “Second Amendment Sanctuaries.” The move, which Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring ruled carries no legal weight, is a way of local officials saying they will not comply with gun regulations they do not agree with. While sheriffs have wide power at the county level, they are not empowered to pick and choose which laws to enforce based on personal preference. “If the bills go through as proposed, they will not be enforced they’re unconstitutional.” “We are the last line of defense in defense of our county when it comes to Second Amendment issues,” Vaughan said. Both echoed words often used by the “constitutional sheriff” movement, which purports that sheriffs are the highest-ranking law enforcement officers in the country and have an obligation to refuse to enforce laws deemed unconstitutional by the antigovernment movement’s idiosyncratic interpretation of American law and history. Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins and Grayson County Sheriff Richard Vaughan stood with the protestors. Court documents show some members discussed attending the rally in Richmond with the intent of killing people.Īt least two Virginia sheriffs joined the protesters. In the days leading up to the rally, the FBI arrested multiple members of “The Base,” a white nationalist group where some members hold neo-Nazi beliefs. “We have received credible intelligence from our law enforcement agencies that there are groups with malicious plans for the rally that is planned for Monday,” Northam said in a press conference Jan.
Northam cited out-of-state militia and hate groups who announced plans to attend the rally, fly drones over the capitol and storm the building. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency several days in advance of Lobby Day. Online, antigovernment militias talked of a possible civil war and conspiracy theorists spun tales of government agents seizing civilians’ guns. (Photo by Brett Barrouquere)Īnd while photographs that captured the sheer size of the crowd appeared to show a unified front around the single issue of guns, the far right’s belief in foundational antigovernment conspiracy theories set them apart from the rest of the crowd. The armed group joined other militias, hate group members, conspiracy theorists and gun owners in a 22,000-person-strong protest of proposed gun legislation being considered by the Virginia General Assembly. Members of the South Carolina Light Foot Militia Special Response Team marched around Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan.
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