Armed protesters gather near Capitol urging Northam to open economy

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A group of armed protesters gathered near Virginia’s Capitol on Friday urging Gov. Ralph Northam to open the economy and roll back restrictions put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The protestors there said the current restrictions and stay-at-home mandates are crippling Virginia’s economy and impacting their livelihoods.

The group said they are hoping this small show of force will help get their message across.

“The firearm debate serves to let the legislature and the governor know that the people will resist against such things, and we hope that as time goes on the governor switches gears and gets the economy back open again,” protester Matt Gnarelli said.

There were a couple of people against the protesters who showed up but their interactions were civil.

Most of the protesters left as rain moved into the area on Friday afternoon.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

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