Two rallies took place Tuesday April 20 where as many as 2,000 people gathered alongside the Washington Monument, and about 50 marchers at Gravelly Point and Fort Hunt parks in Virginia. The protests were led by gun rights advocates, determined to show their immense support of the Second Amendment’s “right to bear arms” with handguns in their hands and rifles hung behind their backs.

Briar Woods High School teacher and NRA member, Mr. Celio, said, “People have a right to express themselves on issues that are important to them. Although there should be a peaceful tone in these protests, there is still an intimidation factor.”

The protest assembly was the first armed rally in the national park since President Obama signed a law last year that allows people to carry weapons into the parks. Also, last year 24 different states loosened their restrictions in firearms laws. This year, Iowa and Arizona passed laws lessoning restrictions on gun possession.

Displeased gun control groups have nudged back. This past weekend, gun control advocates organized protests at a local Starbucks in Blacksburg, Virginia to correspond with the anniversary of the Virginia Tech Massacre of 2007 and the Columbine shootings of 1999.

Eleven years after the infamous Columbine shootings and three years since the Virginia Tech Massacre, Congress has still failed to shutdown the gun show loophole that made these dreadful shootings possible. In the spring of 1999, two Columbine students had a friend buy them four high-powered weapons, without passing through any regulations, from a gun show dealer. The two students then used the weapons to kill 12 students and a teacher.

Since Columbine, the gun lobby and its Congressional facilitators have maintained a block on all efforts to require gun buyers at weekend gun shows to abide by the same background checks and regulations that buyers at registered gun shops go through normally. However, some still hold their reservations about how unsuccessful closing this loophole may actually be. Celio said, “It is a misnomer to call the loophole, a loophole. I can buy a gun from anybody. If they issue regulations for gun shows, then they need to make it mandatory for any underground firearms transaction.”

One of Celio’s students, and fellow NRA member, Junior Alex Seely disagreed when he said, “Background checks and psychological checks are always necessary to make sure people are buying weapons for the right reasons. People who have been convicted of violent crimes shouldn’t have access to guns.”

Congress should put blocks on the loopholes on weekend gun shows, and further monitor any other gun exchange or transaction. The safety of the people in our community and by extension, our country, is more important than the testosterone-filled patronage of gun advocates nationwide.