Lobby Day 2021 wasn’t anything at all like Lobby Day 2020. Not by a longshot, though it wasn’t because of a lack of belief in the Second Amendment. The truth is COVID has everyone rethinking how they do things. Couple that with some shenanigans by anti-gunners, and things get interesting.

For Lobby Day this year, things were very different. Yet, gun rights activists still set out to make their voices heard.

Last year, the event went off pretty much without incident.

This year, despite being a mobile rally, the same can’t be said. However, the incident raises some very real questions.

Richmond police seized at least two firearms from a group of Black men present at a gun rights rally in Virginia on Monday, Jan. 18, while white gun rights activists were not confronted by authorities.

During the annual “Lobby Day” demonstration in Richmond, Black protesters expressed frustration about law enforcement’s disparate treatment of Black and white activists.

The event, which takes place at the capitol each year, gives citizens the chance to petition lawmakers on issues of public interest. However, “Lobby Day” is attended primarily by gun rights activists.

Reuters witnessed police confront a vehicle carrying a group of Black men in a sea of hundreds of white gun rights activists demonstrating on foot and in cars near the capitol.

“Everybody in the city is carrying today, and you’re only pulling us over,” yelled a Black woman among a group of angry bystanders. “Shoutout to Martin Luther King Day!”

One of the Black men whose gun was confiscated called the situation a double standard and said it’s an example of why Black Americans resent police. At least one other weapon was taken by officers.

In a statement posted to the department’s Twitter account, Richmond police said officers confiscated a firearm from someone who was carrying a concealed weapon without a concealed carry permit.

As it seems no one was arrested, it’s not like it was a known felon in possession of a firearm or anything like that, so that means there are questions that damn sure need to be answered. While I tend to roll my eyes at most accusations of racism these days, I can’t help but wonder if this time, there’s something to it.

After all, as noted, they seem to have been the only ones randomly stopped and disarmed. There were no arrests, which suggests there was no illegal activity going on. I mean, if they were handling weapons in an unsafe manner, they were endangering people and that likely would have warranted arrests to be made. They just happened to be black.

Sorry, it’s kind of hard not to see racism as a potential motive here.

It’s possible there’s some other explanation. I hope there’s another explanation. Until I see it, though, I get the concern.

Look, it’s important to remember that the Second Amendment is for everyone, regardless of ideology, ethnicity, or anything else. We all deserve to have our right to keep and bear arms, and we damn well had better stand up for anyone stripped of it without due cause. That includes these individuals.

The Richmond Police Department needs to step up and answer some questions.