Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) declared a “state of emergency” Wednesday, putting in place a temporary prohibition of exercising Second Amendment rights on Capitol grounds.

This means citizens coming to the January 20, 2020, pro-Second Amendment rally in Richmond will have to disarm before taking part in the event.

On January 14, 2020, the Associated Press received a tip that Northam was going to declare a ban on firearms prior to the pro-Second Amendment rally. The AP noted that “Democrat leaders … [had already] used a special rules committee to ban guns inside the Capitol and a legislative office building,” and Northam was going to expand the ban by adding the grounds as well.

The upcoming pro-Second Amendment rally is planned by the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL).

VCDL’s Philip Van Cleave told CNN his group has been coming to the state Capitol every January 20th since 2003 without incident. But Northam suggested guns needed to be banned this year. And not only guns but “sticks and bats” too.

Northam alluded to “threats and violent rhetoric” reminiscent of “Charlottesville,” but he did not provide details on the threats or the rhetoric.

Michael Bloomberg-funded Moms Demand Action took a similar approach, claiming those in support of Second Amendment sanctuaries are the “extremists” who “threaten the safety of communities nationwide by fostering distrust in law enforcement and may deter people from reporting individuals that may hurt themselves or others.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.