Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring. Photo: H. Darr Beiser for The Washington Post via Getty Image
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring insisted on Friday that the state Supreme Court not overturn a temporary weapons ban the governor enacted for a planned gun-rights rally at the state Capitol next Monday, AP reports.
Why it matters: The FBI assisted the police on Thursday in arresting six men linked to a violent white supremacist group known as The Base, at least three of whom were thought to be planning to attend the rally in Richmond, AP writes.
Background: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam temporarily banned weapons at the state Capitol earlier this week, and declared a state of emergency due to evidence suggesting that Monday's attendees could break out in violence.
- The Virginia Citizens Defense League and Gun Owners of America filed an emergency appeal on Thursday.
- Herring argued the ban is crucial to avoid the kind of violence seen during 2017's nationalist rally in Charlottesville.
- He added the ban does not violate rally-goers' Second Amendment rights because the restriction is justified for the public safety of all.
- It remains unclear when the Supreme Court will rule.
Go deeper: Virginia General Assembly passes Equal Rights Amendment