Virginia – -(Ammoland.com)- Governor McAuliffe now believes he can prohibit guns at rallies which are held at the Robert E. Lee Monument on Monument Avenue in Richmond. That statue, unlike the other statues in the area, belongs to the Commonwealth and not to Richmond.
The Governor has issued another ‘emergency‘ regulation prohibiting guns during rallies by tying the condition of “no guns or weapons” to issuance of a permit. A rally of 10 or more people at this monument requires a permit.
Virginia Citizens Defense League takes no position on the monument itself, but we do take umbrage at the Governor thinking he can prohibit guns there considering that he has no legal authority to do so from the General Assembly.
The last rally at the statue did not ban guns and there was no violence. The Governor has a habit of abusing his powers by issuing “emergency orders” when there is no emergency.
Rest assured that Virginia Citizens Defense League and its lawyers are looking into this.
Here is a story on this matter: Emergency rules go into effect for rallies at Richmond Lee monument
Virginia officials have enacted emergency rules on rallies at the Robert E. Lee statue on Richmond’s Monument Avenue, ending a temporary ban on political demonstrations Gov. Terry McAuliffe imposed after the violence in Charlottesville.
The governor’s office announced Monday that regulations have gone into effect laying out a more restrictive process for groups applying for permits to demonstrate around the statue, the first and largest Confederate monument on Richmond’s iconic boulevard.
After the violent Aug. 12 incident in Charlottesville, where white nationalist groups rallied around a statue of Lee in a downtown park, McAuliffe suspended permits for events at the Richmond Lee statue, which is owned by the state.
The new rules ban guns and other weapons, limit crowd sizes to 500, require permits for any rally expected to draw 10 or more people, and restrict demonstrations to certain hours.
The governor created a state task force to craft new rules for rallies at the Lee statue. The emergency regulations took effect Friday and will remain in place for at least 18 months while the state Department of General Services takes public comment and prepares the final rules. The public comment period will begin Dec. 11 and remain open until Jan. 10.
The state is also considering changing the permitting process for events at Capitol Square, and the governor’s office invited public comment on rules for rallies at the Capitol.
About Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL):
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
For more information, visit: www.vcdl.org.