Dozens of gun rights advocates gathered at the Capitol in Atlanta on Saturday for a rally that was expected to be one of the many held at state capitols across the nation to counter a recent wave of student-led protests against gun violence.
Organizers encouraged gun rights supporters to bring unloaded rifles to rallies at state capitols this weekend, pushing back against recent efforts that some see as a threat to the Second Amendment.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
A group called the National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans spread word of the gatherings on social media. Organizers had permits for rallies Saturday outside 45 statehouses, said David Clayton, of West Virginia, one of the coalition's founders.
The rallies come less than three weeks after hundreds of thousands marched in Atlanta, Washington, New York and other U.S. cities to demand tougher gun laws after the February school shooting that killed 17 in Parkland, Florida.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Clayton said a new gun law in Florida and similar measures being considered in other states threaten the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
