Firearms are temporarily prohibited in downtown Washington, D.C., as city officials prepare for the anticipated pro-Trump rally Wednesday.
According to Fox 5 D.C., city police are posting notices of the firearms ban throughout downtown D.C., a move that will be enforced by the Metropolitan Police Department from Monday, January 4 through Thursday, January 7.
One user on Twitter shared an image of the Metro PD’s posting that declared “all firearms prohibited within 1000 feet of this sign.”
The crackdown on firearms comes amid President Trump tweeting about the “wild” protest that will take place in the nation’s capital while a joint session of Congress attempts to tally Electoral College votes that could certify Joe Biden as President-elect.
President Trump and his allies have alleged widespread voter fraud and suppression impacted the outcome of the 2020 presidential election since November when numerous media outlets declared Joe Biden the winner of 306 Electoral College votes over President Trump’s 232.
“Peter Navarro releases 36-page report alleging election fraud ‘more than sufficient’ to swing victory to Trump. A great report by Peter,” the president tweeted. “Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election. Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”
Just days ahead of Wednesday’s rally, a crowd of Trump supporters gathered outside of another rally location in Georgia, chanting, “Fight for Trump.”
While the protesters take over the streets outside the Capitol building, inside, Congress will face challenges as they attempt to tally the Electoral College votes.
Over 100 members of the House of Representatives have said they will reject certification. Meanwhile, 11 senators and senators-elect joined the growing number of Representatives, jointly vowing to reject the results of the Electoral College when Congress convenes on Wednesday to tally the votes.
The lawmakers issued a joint statement over the weekend announcing their plan to reject the results, citing unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations, and lax enforcement of election law and other irregularities that have caused a “deep distrust of our democratic processes” that will not “magically disappear” and “should concern us all.”
“Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states. Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commission’s findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed,” the statement read.
