Survival Update

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Northam Declares State of Emergency Against Law Abiding Citizens

When an elected chief-of-state becomes so distrustful and unsure of his own law-abiding constituents, that he is willing to call a state of emergency on the presumption of rumored violence, he’s lost all credibility as an effective leader.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on Wednesday announced a temporary ban on firearms and other weapons on the Capitol grounds, during the annual Virginia Citizens Defense League Lobby Day, saying he was responding to “credible intelligence” about potential violence at the gun-rights rally planned for Monday.

Then declaring he was planning to invoke a “STATE OF EMERGENCY” from Friday evening to Tuesday night, which by definition constitutes suspending one’s civil liberties, such as freedom of assembly, imposing curfews, restricting one’s movements, spying, and a host of other potentially nasty things, moreover giving police additional broad-ranging powers, the kind of powers one finds in a repressive régime.

The beleaguered governor appearing at a news conference on Wednesday announced the extraordinary steps saying, “We’re seeing threats of violence. We’re seeing threats of armed confrontation and assault on our Capitol.”

All of which has not happened, and seems more like wishful thinking on the part of the embattled governor, however perhaps even more worrisome for the good people of Virginia is the likelihood that this anti Second Amendment zealot may in fact be hatching a sinister maneuver to perhaps create a situation that will actually spark violence.

In that, the Governor has thus far not shared any information regarding exactly what “threats of violence” or “armed confrontation” he’s uncovered.

Moreover, the unprecedented move to declare a “state of emergency” without any actual specific or credible evidence is nothing more than fear-mongering at its worse.

Northam’s attack on the Second Amendment the moment he won reelection, threatening to forcibly seize firearms from law-abiding gun owners, worst yet arrest them if they refuse to hand over their guns has contributed to the chaos, confusion, and disorder that we’re now witnessing in the commonwealth.

“No one wants another incident like the one we saw in Charlottesville in 2017,” said Northam, referring to the deadly violence that followed a “Unite the Right” rally that centered on opposition to removing a Confederate statue in the university town. “We will not allow mayhem and violence to happen here.”

House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) said in a statement.

“While we fully expect this to be peaceful, there are legitimate concerns of a few bad actors hijacking the rally. Law enforcement says those agitators are acting on their own volition and are not part of the busloads of Virginians visiting the Capitol. While we are grateful for the precautions taken by law enforcement, the Governor’s actions will, unfortunately, impede the ability of people to exercise not only their Second Amendment rights but their First Amendment rights as well.”

However, Senate Minority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City) and other GOP leaders issued a joint statement questioning Northam’s authority to impose the ban and saying that the restrictions for the Capitol and grounds “may be serving to heighten rather than assuage tensions.”

This is exactly what many pro-gun activists are concerned about, Northam stocking a confrontation so that he can claim his harsh gun confiscation decree is needed to stop the threat of another Charlottesville, threatening confiscation and then suddenly walking it back, is the sign of an erratic emotionally unhinged chief executive, losing control of the process and dangerously putting the good citizens of Virginia in peril.