Dec. 13 gun rights rally could draw thousands to Capitol Campus

Up to 6,000 people could participate in a rally on the state Capitol grounds in Olympia Saturday, Dec. 13 to express their opposition to Initiative 594, the new law that expands gun purchase background checks to include firearms sales and transfers between private citizens.

The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) has approved the use of the campus grounds for the "I Will Not Comply" rally from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. near the Tivoli Fountain on the west Capitol Campus.

The north and south diagonal roadways will be closed during the rally because of the large crowd expected. With Sid Snyder Avenue closed for an infrastructure repair project, the only road leading in and out of the west campus that day will be 11th Avenue.

Many participants are expected to openly carry firearms as allowed under state law. There is no prohibition against carrying weapons on Capitol grounds.

As with any large event, the Washington State Patrol (WSP) will have troopers on duty during the rally.

WSP advises anyone who perceives a threat on the Capitol grounds at any time to call 9-1-1.

Event organizers will begin setting up at about 9 a.m. and post-rally cleanup will continue until about 5 p.m.

DES is the state agency that manages public events and activities on the Capitol grounds.

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