Ku Klux Klan members are bringing guns to a Saturday afternoon rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to one of its members.

The Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a KKK chapter headquartered in North Carolina, has for more than a month planed to protest in downtown Charlottesville this weekend over the city’s decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

And on the eve of Saturday’s rally, Loyal White Knights member James Moore said participants plan to utilize the state’s gun laws and pack some heat.

“It’s an open-carry state, so our members will be armed,” said Mr. Moore, The Washington Post reported Friday.

City officials granted the Loyal White Knights permission to hold the event last month and previously said they expect upwards of 100 participants will gather in the former Lee Park for the 3 p.m. rally.

Counter-protesters could number 1,000, however, and Mr. Moore told The Post that the Loyal White Knights intend to defend themselves if necessary.

“Most” people attending the Klan rally will have guns with them, The Post reported.

“Public safety is our most sacrosanct duty to our public and our visitors,” Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer told The Post. “If any one of these people breaks any law, including those governing assault and disorderly conduct, they will be swiftly dealt with and brought to justice.”

Local authorities have installed security cameras throughout the area and expect help Saturday from county and state law enforcement agencies, Police Chief Al Thomas told WVTF, a Virginia public radio station.

“My advice is simple. Stay home. Don’t take the bait. Please be mindful that extremists are not persuaded with calm reasoning or shouting,” he said.

“We will not allow violence in our streets, and we will act swiftly and strongly against anyone who threatens the rule of law here,” Mr. Signer added.

Local civic and religious leaders have planned several events throughout the weekend as alternatives for the Klan rally and counter protests, including concerts and an ice cream social.

The Charlottesville City Council voted in April to remove the Civil War general’s statue and rename its location Emancipation Park, but a court has halted its dismantling until after a November hearing. City workers, meanwhile, removed a “Confederate Heroes” plaque from the statue on Thursday this week.

“The liberals are taking away our heritage,” Mr. Moore told The Post on Friday. “By taking these monuments away, that’s what they’re working on. They’re trying to erase the white culture right out of the history books.”

The Loyal White Knights is one of about 130 KKK chapters currently operating within the U.S., according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate-group watchdog.

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