Ahead of the pro-gun "Lobby Day" demonstrations planned Monday in Virginia, one commonwealth lawmaker is warning Virginians that they are being "set up" by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.

According to state Sen. Amanda Chase (R) — whose district includes portions of the Richmond area — Northam has "laid the groundwork to make the entire movement look like insurrection."

"I want you to be aware of how we are being set up. Does the Patriot Act ring a bell? Does the National Defense Authorization Act ring a bell?" she wrote on Facebook on Friday.

"If people show up wearing any kind of uniform, patch or other symbol on their clothing signifying they belong to a militia and something goes wrong, you could/will be held as a domestic terrorist," she explained. "If anyone steps out of line, all it takes is one person, it may even be a government plant....if that plant does anything to disrupt the rally, you could/will be arrested as a domestic terrorist."

"The Governor, using the media has already set the stage for this to happen," she continued. "It will be used to put the rest of the nation on notice of what will happen to you, if you resist."

Tens of thousands of Second Amendment supporters are expected to attend the rally in Richmond. Ahead of the demonstrations, which are organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Northam declared a state of emergency to prohibit demonstrators from carrying firearms on capitol grounds.

The VCDL believes Northam's declaration is unlawful.



Monday's rally comes at a volatile time for the commonwealth as Democrats, who won control of the state General Assembly last year, are pushing increased gun control measures.

However, opposition to the pro-gun control agenda was so great that it forced Democrats to partially walk back their gun agenda.

The opposition has also triggered a run on firearms and firearm accessories, particularly those that Democrats are targeting. December, for example, posted the second-highest number of firearm transactions in commonwealth history with nearly 74,000 purchases.