On January 20, 2020, thousands of gun-rights activists protested peacefully at the Virginia Capitol to protest plans for gun-control rights, which was a key point in the gun control debate. 

The rally was organized and led by an influential gun-rights group called, The Virginia Citizens Defense League, who hold yearly rallies at the Capitol

According to The Washington Post, democratic lawmakers in Virginia said that the rally wouldn’t impact their plans for gun-control rights, as well as saying that creating stronger gun-control rights would help prevent mass shootings, and make communities safer. 

The rally coincided with the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, which is mostly a chance for citizens to take the day off from work, but the threat of violence kept everyone away from the Capitol.

Also according to The Washington Post, House Republican leader Todd Gilbert said, “The law-abiding gun owners are the ones who would bear the worst part of the anti-gun proposals, which have little to no impact on crime or criminals” 

Around noon of the same day, the event was concluded to be uneventful. No one was injured, and one woman was arrested. She was charged with one felony count of wearing a mask in public.