Americans throughout history have stood up for their rights.
At times, the cause of freedom seemed to require armed revolt, as in the case of the American Revolution or in the various armed, popular uprisings in the history of the republic. Yet, we at The Pacer believe we speak for the majority in maintaining that liberty purchased without human blood is a sweeter liberty than that which is seized at gunpoint.
That is why we are proud of the gun-rights community in Virginia who demonstrated in Richmond on Monday, Jan. 20, against three gun control measures passed in the Virginia Senate last Thursday. Despite having a crowd of over 20,000 people, many of them armed with rifles, not a single shot was fired and no violence broke out.
There was, however, serious doubt about such an amicable outcome taking place. After the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam (D), declared a state of emergency, the national media was awash in paranoid headlines and fearmongering ahead of the rally. Many outlets emphasized the likely presence of white nationalists or so-called “militia groups,” and speculated darkly about the possibility of a violent scene on the morning of the rally.
Such conjecture grew louder and more severe when it was announced a few days before the rally that the FBI had arrested three suspected white nationalists on firearm and immigration-related offenses, claiming that they were plotting to commit violence at the demonstration.
Nevertheless, the demonstrators in Richmond kept the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s tactics of non-violence alive on the federal holiday that memorializes his accomplishments for civil rights.
Their conduct at the rally did a great deal to assuange real fears growing in the media and certain segments of the public that large-scale violence might break out in Virginia.
We at The Pacer earnestly hope that Americans can continue to come together to peaceably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances. Whether or not you agree with the protesters in Virginia is beyond the point. The point is that our republic can only endure so long as citizens can exercise those rights non-violently.
We hold up the recent rally in Virginia as an instructive example for a country more than ever riddled with division.
