Second Amendment rally attendee describes what it was really like on the ground
Antonia Okafor Cover, spokesperson for Gun Owners of America, says the Richmond, Virginia rally was peaceful and inclusive.
An annual gun rights rally in Richmond, Va., on Monday was incorrectly painted by the liberal media as a white supremacist rally, Gun Owners of America spokesperson Antonia Okafor said Tuesday.
Appearing on "Fox & Friends" with host Steve Doocy, Okafor -- who attended the rally -- said that if viewers had listened to coverage by CNN or MSNBC, they would have believed there was going to be "some type of violence."
SECURITY MEASURES HEIGHTENED AS THOUSANDS HEAD TO RICHMOND FOR LARGE GUN RIGHTS RALLY
"This was by far, hands down, the worst white supremacist rally I have ever seen," she joked to Doocy. "There were people shaking my hand. I mean, they even let me speak, for goodness sake."
"So, it's almost as if MLK's dream to see that people judge people based on the content of their character and not the color of their skin had actually become reality," Okafor added. "This was just exemplifying the whole thing."
Okafor argued that coverage portraying rally attendees as white nationalists was just adding to the left's agenda "to divide this country."
"And," she said, "You know, the right is not going to stand for it."
There were an estimated 22,000 people at the pro-Second Amendment rally, according to Virginia State Capitol law enforcement.
"I saw all walks of life there and that was the beautiful thing: seeing over 20,000 people, all Americans, coming together over one issue and that is to protect our God-given rights. Which, obviously ... Gov. [Ralph] Northam in Virginia -- he is not doing."
"We cannot divorce God and politics," Okafor concluded. "And, that's what we are seeing right now."
In November, Democrats flipped the state Senate and the House of Delegates, giving them control of both the governor's office and the legislature for the first time in a generation.
Demonstrators are seen during a pro-gun rally, Monday in Richmond, Va. (AP)
Following his reelection, Northam, the state's Democratic governor, vowed to push through new gun-control measures, saying it was a top priority for Virginia Democrats. In doing so, he angered gun rights advocates who believe he is trying to take away their rights.
That suspicion was fueled further on Friday when President Trump warned in a tweet that Virginia Democrats were threatening Americans' right to bear arms.
"Your 2nd Amendment is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia. That's what happens when you vote for Democrats, they will take your guns away. Republicans will win Virginia in 2020. Thank you Dems!" he tweeted.
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Last week, four gun control bills advanced in the General Assembly, setting the stage for a contentious showdown between gun rights advocates and the Democratic lawmakers, who campaigned on bringing changes to the state following last year's mass shooting at a Virginia Beach municipal complex.
In a statement following the event, Northam wrote that his teams had "successfully de-escalated what could have been a volatile situation."
He later said the majority of those planning to attend Monday's rally had no interest in fanning the flames of hate but acknowledged there were still a few hellbent on it.
Fox News' Barnini Chakraborty contributed to this report.
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