Organizers are encouraging gun rights supporters to bring unloaded rifles to rallies at state capitols across the U.S. this weekend, pushing back against a wave of student-led gun violence protests that some see as a threat to the Second Amendment.
Illinois officials, however, are reminding people coming to the planned rally in Springfield on Saturday that it is illegal to carry firearms — loaded or unloaded — out in the open in the state.
"Illinois is not an open-carry state," said Beth Kaufman, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Secretary of State's Office, which oversees the Capitol Complex. "... They've been advised to not bring firearms to the event."
A group called the National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans is spreading word of the gun-rights gatherings on social media. Organizers have permits for rallies Saturday outside 45 statehouses, including Illinois, said David Clayton of West Virginia, one of the coalition's founders.
The group's event at the Illinois Capitol is set for 1-5 p.m. Saturday near the Abraham Lincoln statue at Second Street and Capitol Avenue.
The rallies come less than three weeks after hundreds of thousands marched in Washington, New York and other U.S. cities to demand tougher gun laws after the February school shooting that killed 17 in Parkland, Florida. It's unclear how many will show up — turnout predictions of national organizers are vastly higher than those of local planners. As of Thursday afternoon, 86 people had indicated on Facebook that they planned to attend the Springfield event.
Clayton said a new gun law in Florida and similar measures being considered in other states threaten the rights of law-abiding gun owners. He said those attending rallies are encouraged to carry rifles — unloaded, with no magazines inserted
