At the end of the pro-Second Amendment rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday, participants exemplified what it means to “peaceably” assemble under the First Amendment.
Several social media posts revealed demonstrators cleaning up the streets of downtown Richmond, in front of the capitol building.
“Pick up the trash, everybody; put it right here in this bag,” a man can be heard saying in one video as he holds a large plastic bag. He joked, “It’s a birthday present for [Virginia Gov.] Ralph Northam, all right? Put it in here.”
The Richmond Times-Dispatch also captured photos of protesters cleaning up after around 6,000 people descended on the Virginia capitol for a rally The Washington Post said was “carried out peacefully.”
“I helped pick up trash for about 30 minutes today,” read a comment on Facebook from Chris Bethel, who participated in the Monday event. “I was always told if you make a mess help clean it up.”
The protest Monday came after Northam, a Democrat, announced he plans to move forward with eight gun control bills he argued will “save lives and improve public safety in our communities,” among them is a ban on assault-style weapons.
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr., a conservative and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, said recently he would support “civil disobedience,” should the proposals Northam has introduced become law.
He also said he “will not be surprised” if citizens and law enforcement officers in “a good part of Virginia” choose not to obey or enforce the bills Northam may sign into law.