Dozens of protesters rallied outside the National Rifle Association's headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, calling for stricter gun-control measures and a change to the group's tax-exempt status. The protest is just the latest in months that have targeted the organization, stricter gun control laws and aim to increase voter registration after a string of mass shootings, stemming back to the high school attack in Parkland, Florida. Protesters, including some from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, rallied outside the gun-rights organization and were met by several dozen of its supporters. "Hey, hey, ho ho, the NRA has got to go," the crowds chanted while NRA supporters, some armed with weapons, waved President Donald Trump banners and held up signs, including one reading "Tyranny: When you disarm me." Police officers, along with white and orange barriers separated the protesters from NRA supporters. "It's not the weapon, it's the mindset," Brian Meehan, an NRA supporter who attended the rally, told NBC Washington. "Until we can come up with a solution to cure or stop somebody's mindset, you're never going to stop these mass killings." The protest was also held on the birthday of Joaquin Oliver, one of the 17 who died in the Florida high school shooting on Feb. 14. His father created a mural outside the gun lobby building and the crowd sang happy birthday. Fred Guttenberg, another father whose daughter was killed in the shooting, spoke before the crowd and urged everyone to vote in the November midterm elections. "I happen to be a believer in the Second Amendment," Guttenberg said, according to NBC Washington. "To those who are outside of this crowd walking around with AR-15s and other weapons, if you're a lawful gun owner, I hate the fact that you think you have to make a point to those of us who have lost loved ones." As a part two of their #NeverAgain movement, Parkland students have been on a bus tour aimed at registering voters and ending gun violence. They are protesting what they consider efforts by the NRA to block gun control laws and bans on assault rifles. More:NRA says it faces financial crisis, claims it might be 'unable to exist' in future: lawsuit More:Twitter users troll NRA for financial woes, calling for 'thoughts and prayers.' The protest comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the gun organization targeting the state of New York. In the lawsuit, the NRA claims its in financial ruin and could go broke. It says it may soon have to stop producing its magazines and its video streaming service, NRAtv, because of actions by the state of New York, which the NRA accused of running a "blacklisting campaign." The campaign the NRA highlighted appears to be part of a national effort, spearheaded by Parkland students, calling for companies to cut ties with the group in the aftermath of several high profile U.S. shootings. The gun lobbying group claims in its lawsuit, which targets Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the New York State Department of Financial Services and Maria Vullo, which heads the department, that the state has caused "irrecoverable loss and irreparable harm" to the organization. Some critics of the NRA believe the claims could be false or a way to increase membership and donations. Contributing: WUSA-TV.<doc-sep>Demonstrators on both sides of the gun control issue rally at the National headquarters of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in Fairfax, VA. Dubbed "The March on the NRA" protestors line the streets in fronn the of the NRA headquarters. (Patsy Lynch/MediaPunch)<doc-sep>Guns for me, but not for thee. The National Rifle Association taunted gun control activist David Hogg and his group’s Saturday protest at its Fairfax, Virginia, headquarters by noting his security. “Today, @davidhogg111 (with armed security) and a bunch of gun-grabbing activists protested our empty HQ,” the gun-rights organization wrote on Twitter on Saturday night. Today, @davidhogg111 (with armed security) and a bunch of gun-grabbing activists protested our empty HQ, and there were some interesting people there. Our social team chatted up the crowd and ended the day with ice cream paid for by @Everytown! Stay tuned for video interviews! pic.twitter.com/kIhcWZ28dJ — NRA (@NRA) August 5, 2018 With the tweet, the NRA also posted a photo of Mr. Hogg getting into a black vehicle protected by gun-wielding security. Despite being tagged in the tweet, Mr. Hogg did not contest the NRA’s claim or reply directly to it. He also did not spend Sunday away from Twitter. Remarkably, for a group that, according to Mr. Hogg, wants to kill American schoolchildren and has blood on its hands, there was no bloodshed when some NRA employees mingled with the gun-control protesters. “Our social team chatted up the crowd and ended the day with ice cream paid for by @Everytown! Stay tuned for video interviews,” the NRA wrote. Kyle Kashuv, a Parkland high school shooting survivor who supports gun rights, chuckled on Twitter, “When @NRA employees take ice cream from @Everytown to own the libs.” When @NRA employees take ice cream from @Everytown to own the libs. https://t.co/QcDwOxUmuT — Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) August 5, 2018 Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.<doc-sep>
Protesters angry at the National Rifle Association's (NRA) resistance to gun control measures rallied outside the group's headquarters in Northern Virginia on Saturday. The protest, dubbed the "National March on the NRA," included survivors of the deadly February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. ADVERTISEMENT Students from the high school plan to memorialize one of the victims of the shooting, Joaquin Oliver, on Saturday on what would have been his 18th birthday. "Today is the day! Join us in Fairfax at 12PM to support the youth behind @MarchOnNRA and celebrate Joaquin’s 18th with @ChangeTheRef," the "March for Our Lives" Twitter account posted Saturday. Today is the day! Join us in Fairfax at 12PM to support the youth behind @MarchOnNRA and celebrate Joaquin’s 18th with @ChangeTheRef RSVP if you haven’t already!https://t.co/qckKO2URuB — March For Our Lives (@AMarch4OurLives) August 4, 2018 March for Our Lives, a national movement in favor of tougher gun restrictions, was formed by Parkland students following February's shooting that killed 17 students and faculty members at the Florida high school. Saturday's protest drew dozens of people to the NRA's headquarters, where protesters sung an altered version of "America The Beautiful" and held signs condemning the NRA. The protest hasn’t even official started yet and there’s a chorus outside the #NRA building singing a riff on ‘America The Beautiful.’ #MarchOnNRA pic.twitter.com/CY0eU3f6Ea — Marissa J. Lang (@Marissa_Jae) August 4, 2018 A separate march against the NRA scheduled to take place in Colorado on Saturday was scaled down after a number of student activists pulled out of the rally, citing threats made against them. The rallies come months after tens of thousands of protesters descended upon Washington, D.C., in March for a protest against gun violence, with dozens of other cities taking part in concurrent marches.