Guns Across America, a Second Amendment rights group, has organized protests in 47 states. The gun control related protests will occur on January 19 – Gun Appreciation Day. The events were announced on January 16, the same day President Barack Obama took to the podium to detail his gun control executive orders. The events will take place at state capitols, except in Florida where the event will be held in a more centrally accessible area.
The Guns Across America is viewed by some as the first grassroots backlash to President Obama’s request to ban semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. The notice about the Gun Appreciation Day events went viral on within hours of the information was posted on the group’s Facebook page, according to Examiner .
The organizers of the Guns Across America events also created the Gun Control=More Crime group. The January 19 Gun Appreciation Day events will reportedly being at “high noon” in 47 states. The stated mission for the day is to oppose President Obama’s push for new gun control laws and to share supportive message relating to the Second Amendment .
An excerpt from the Guns Across America announcement reads:
“Guns Across America Events are committed to supporting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms as outlined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Our goal is to inform and educate the public about their Constitutional Rights. Our objective is to ensure that law abiding citizens retain those rights through peaceful and legal means.”
The gun rights group reportedly has event organizers at the local level in every state except Alaska, New Jersey, and Wyoming. The group is still seeking support for hosting events in those states, so a last minute event is still possible.