Politics & Government

D.C. Police Chief Lanier Warns Loaded-Gun Protest Organizers

An Internet radio host called for a march from Virginia into the district on July Fourth with loaded guns.

D.C. Chief of Police Cathy Lanier said Metropolitan Police Department officers would meet protesters as they enter the District, should they proceed with their plan to march into Washington with loaded guns, according to the Washington Post.

Lanier's remarks were directed at Adam Kokesh, who has created a Facebook page for an event he is calling the "Open Carry March on Washington."

"We will march with rifles loaded [and] slung across our backs to put the government on notice that we will not be intimidated [or] cower in submission to tyranny," according to the Facebook page.

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Lanier said there's a difference between civil disobedience and violation of the law. It is legal for D.C. residents to have registered firearms in their homes, but they may not carry them in public.

"Passing into the district with loaded firearms is a violation of the law and it will be treated as such,” Lanier said during an interview with NewsChannel 8.

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The plan, according to the Facebook page, would be for the crowd to gather at Arlington National Cemetery and to march over the Memorial Bridge, making its way past the Capitol, the Supreme Court and the White House before returning to Virginia.

Lanier said her officers would likely meet the group on the D.C. side of the bridge.

An update posted on the Facebook page later Tuesday said, "There will be coordination with DC law enforcement prior to the event."

Watch Lanier's interview about the gun protest and more here.


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