Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) praised the NRA while announcing a gun ban, and the NRA responded by letting him know they were interested in holding on to gun rights not platitudes.

On January 15, Breitbart News reported that Northam declared an “state of emergency,” temporarily banning the exercise of Second Amendment rights on Virginia Capitol grounds. The ban runs Friday, January 17, through Tuesday, January 21, effectively barring thousands of attendees to Monday’s pro-Second Amendment rally from being armed.

As part of the announcement, Northam took time to praise NRA members for being “peaceful” on January 13, when they flooded into hallways outside of Virginia Senate meetings.

The Daily Wire quoted Northam saying, “Most recently, earlier this week, the NRA hosted its annual lobby day. Hundreds of Virginians participated, and the day passed without incident. That is what peaceful events look like. I thank the NRA for hosting a peaceful event.”

The NRA released a response to Northam’s platitudes and sent a copy to Breitbart News. That response, which is a quote from NRA-ILA Executive Director Jason Ouimet, says, “If Virginia Gov. Northam sincerely respects the efforts of the NRA and its 5 million members, he can demonstrate that respect by not infringing our rights.”

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.