Virginia gun rally: Trump shows support for activists as thousands descend on Richmond on Martin Luther King Jr Day

Welcome to our live coverage 

This is Chris Riotta on the ground in Richmond, Virginia, where the annual Lobby Day demonstrations are set to begin momentarily.

This year will likely prove to be one of the more contentious demonstrations of its kind, as it arrives just days after a series of gun control measures were passed in the state Senate, mostly along party lines. The bills are the result of a Democratic takeover in both house of the Virginia legislature -- the first time that's happened in about 25 years. 

To be clear, some of the most controversial gun control bills did not advance to the state Senate and were effectively killed before they could become law. The three bills that did pass are SB 70, which establishes mandatory background checks, SB 69, which limits the individual purchasing of firearms to once a month, and SB 35, which provides local governments the ability to ban the possession of firearms in public during permitted events. 

Chris Riotta: Many have called for calm ahead of the rally, including Susan Bro, the mother of civil rights activist Heather Heyer, the young woman who was killed by a white supremacist during the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Ms Bro warned anyone thinking of causing violence to "stay the hell away from Richmond" where the Lobby Day demonstrations are taking place today. 

Here's our interview with Ms Bro, which also includes quotes from VCDL president Philip Van Cleave. Mr Van Cleave said he has been working with local authorities to ensure a safe event, adding that he has "no control" over other groups who decide to latch on to his demonstrations. 

The president escalated the already-heightened rhetoric surrounding the Virginia rally in a tweet that claimed the 2nd Amendment "is under very serious attack in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia" just days before the rally. 

"That's what happens when you vote for Democrats," he added, "they will take your guns away." 

Here's The Independent's Conrad Duncan with more on Donald Trump's decision to step into the gun control debate happening in Virginia.

Pro-gun demonstrators are already lining the streets of Richmond, many holding banners or American flags: 

The rally is set to begin at 11am local time, but many activists are already at the scene. Some of the demonstrators are brandishing military-style rifles and other weapons: 

Credit: Reuters 

With numbers expected to grow throughout the day, Virginia Police have prepared with a huge presence - both uniformed and plainclothes officers. Access to Capitol Square, where the protesting is focused, has been limited to one entrance via a security screening process.

Chris Riotta: The Capitol grounds are heavily guarded after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency. Hundreds are just outside of the fenced off Capitol grounds with automatic weapons and other firearms chanting “we will not comply”.

Credit: The Independent 

Chris Riotta: It should be noted that this is not a white supremacist rally. The president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League - the organization putting on today's demonstrations - tells me they have "no control" over any extremist groups who latch onto the event. That said, people booed a gun owner walking through the crowd with a sign on his outfit that read "Nazis suck." One demonstrators shouted: "You sound like one of them." 

RoxAnne Christley has been leading the chants just outside the Capitol grounds, and seems to be a natural with the megaphone. The crowd gets particularly riled up when she begins calling on Governor Ralph Northam to be impeached.

Chris Riotta: Philip Van Cleave, president of the VCDL, tells me he's been working with police to ensure a peaceful rally. 

"All I know is the police are going to have a strong presence, and if anyone does anything provocative we're going to walk away and go get the police."