US state of  Virginia on high alert ahead of a pro-gun rally

WASHINGTON: The US state of Virginia was on high alert as thousands of people were expected to descend on the city of Richmond on Monday for a pro-gun rally that authorities fear could turn violent.

State Governor Ralph Northam on Sunday declared a state of emergency ahead of the Lobby Day rally, banning firearms from the area around the Capitol building, the BBC reported. The Federal Aviation Administration has also issued temporary flight restrictions over the city, making it illegal to fly planes or drones. A rally is an annual event, but several gun-control bills passed in January by the Democrat-led Virginia legislature, in the state where gun rights have historically been permissive, have angered gun owners and activists.

The Virginia Citizens Defence League (VCDL), a gun-rights group that organized the rally, said it expected as many as 50,000 people. Many of the buses laid on from neighboring states were sold out before the weekend. Various groups including armed militia, right-wing extremists and local Antifa, or anti-fascist movement, are expected to attend. (IANS)

Also Read: Google celebrates novelist Virginia Woolf

Also Watch: ‘Punya Dham Yatra’ flagged off at Kamakhya Railway Station