i'd be running up that hill ♪ [ cheers and applause ] this is "nightline." >> tonight -- >> usa! >> triggered. armed with weapons and a message. >> it's our god-given right to protect ourselves, our family, and our children. >> the protesters rallying against proposed gun control bills. >> ar-15 with me today. >> their demand, the latest flash point to divide the country. facing an epidemic of gun violence. with the future generation joining the fray. plus, royal canadians. cutting ties and breaking his silence. >> we are taking a leap of faith. so thank you for giving me the courage to take this next step. >> the prince leaving behind his past to fly to his future across the pond. now reining in the royal exit, the queen taking dicive action.

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usaa good evening. thanks for joining us. thousands of gun-slinging activists descended upon richmond, virginia. the show of force by the demonstrators just the latest in

a heated gun debate. tonight, why this rally has become a rallying cry for some across the country. here's abc's victor oquendo. >> usa! usa! >> reporter: flags held high, ar-15s slung over their shoulders, these protesters say they're here to fight for the future of their country. >> guns save lives. it's obvious. >> it's our gd-given right to protect ourselves, our family. >> it's america, right? live free. >> reporter: virginia. the latest flash-point in the gun debate sweeping the country. >> virginia tightening security ahead of a protest defending the second amendment as it's under assault there. >> reporter: monday's rally comes in response to three new gun control bills. >> governor ralph blackface northam downplaying democrats' plans to strip people of their second amendment rights. >> reporter: more than 20,000 gun rights activists descended on richmond today for what used to be a small annual event. a state of emergency declared. the crowd protesting the state's

efforts to overhaul gun laws. >> as virginia goes so does the rest of the nation. that's what i believe. >> reporter: the rally just got under way. an officer told me they expected about 10,000 people here inside on the capitol grounds but outside on the streets there are thousands more. last may in virginia beach a gunman entered a municipal building and killed 12 people, sparking a renewed conversation around gun control. there's been a stark political shift. democrats now in control. the legislature and the governorship have proposed sweeping gun control legislation, requiring background checks on all firearm sales, capped handgun purchases at one per month, and let local governments ban weapons from certain locations. president trump tweeting today that democrats are working hard "to take away your second amendment rights. this is just the beginning." virginia currently has some of the weakest gun laws in the nation according to the giffords law center. >> the people showing up right here sends a message to governor northam and the democrats that our rights shall not be infringed. these infringements are

unconstitutional. so we're going to challenge them all the way up to the supreme court. >> reporter: the geary family of six drove 100 miles to be here today. >> values our constitutional rights and the right to bear arms i think is very important. and if i don't do it for them, then they won't have those rights that i grew up with. >> reporter: is that why you wanted to bring them out today, to show them an example? >> i want them to learn early you need to take an active role in protecting your rights and voicing your opinion. >> reporter: 6-year-old charlie just beginning to understand the lessons his father's teaching him. from families to those in costume invoking the founding fathers. >> what did you bring with you? >> this is a colt rifle. >> can we see it? >> more than 60 years old. this rifle wasn't a problem 30 years ago. it wasn't a problem 20 years ago necessarily. why is it a problem today? >> reporter: today's protest was peaceful. but that's not what authorities were expecting. last week governor ralph northam imposed a temporary weapons ban

on the designated protest area around the capitol building. >> we are seeing threats of violence. we're seeing threats of armed confrontation and assault on our capitol. >> reporter: rallygoers still bore arms today, pouring out into the surrounding streets where weapons were not banned. >> why did you want to be armed today? >> i think it's important. i carry it all the time anyways. not necessarily the ar-15. but just to show that it is a right that we do have. i think all women should learn how to use a firearm and carry it with them on a regular basis. it's a great feeling of protection. >> reporter: throughout the crowd was a smattering of various fringe group. >> can i ask what that patch means? >> this one? >> the one that says rwds. >> you can look it up. >> reporter: it stands for right wing death squad, an expression the anti-defamation league says is used by some on the extremist right. >> so it's open? >> it's open. >> reporter: today's heightened security came in the wake of the arrest of seven suspected members of a fringe white

supremacist group called the base last week. >> the base is a group that despises minorities and immigrants and will use violence to bring about what it sees as overthrowing the united states government and everything that the u.s. stands for right now. >> reporter: in maryland authorities say three suspected members of the base were plotting to attend the richmond rally with hopes of starting a racial war. georgia the fbi says these three men allegedly had plans to overthrow the government while planning an attack on members of the left-wing group antifa. and in wisconsin federal charges have been brought against a leader of the base for his suspected role in vandalizing a synagogue. >> we have to not tar second amendment protesters with the same brush as white supremacists. we have advocates for the second amendment that have nothing to do whatsoever. and that's the overwhelming majority. >> reporter: today's protests brought with it the painful memories of another virginia gathering. >> jews will not replace us!

>> reporter: sharlts rill >> reporter: charlottesville, where in 2017 white supremacists and other far right groups held their largest demonstration in a decade. and a white supremacist killed a counterprotester, heather heyer, injuring dozens more. law enforcement officials faced criticism for what many called a passive response. >> i think post-charlottesville there was a lot of people in this country that were quite surprised at the sheer magnitude in numbers at individuals and groups who came out to support the unite the right rally. and i think there's a constant fear percolating just below the surface of everyday americans that we're just around the corner from another incident like charlottesville. >> were you nervous at all coming out here today given there was a fear there might be some white supremacist groups? >> one, they don't bother me. two, i'm not afraid of anyb bho. i've got god and my guns. yeah. i can't bring my guns in here, so i've got god with me. >> reporter: though the rally was overwhelmingly white, devin

perkins believes the fight for gun rightsssesacia lis. completel against them. look at history. we've had slave codes, black codes, jim crow. these are all laws that were implemented to keep black people from defending themselves in any kind of way. >> reporter: a few steps away inside the capitol this member of the black lives matter movement feels very differently. >> with the threat of gun violence today from the armed militias out there, i'd rather call them terrorists because that's what they are to me, it definitely has given me like a lot of flashbacks today to charlottesville because i was one of the youngest counterprotesters in charlottesville. >> reporter: kiazolu is part of the student group march for our lives formed in the wake of the parkland shooting. she and other students camped out in the richmond capitol building overnight to lobby for gun control. >> the other side is afraid and they realize this is a turning point and this is a turning point not just for virginia politics but nationwide. >> reporter: what was your main goal, then, in coming here and spending your night in a government office? >> for all the legislators to

see that young people are here, we care, and we are not apathetic when it comes to these issues and they're going to ee these are your constituents, these are the people that care, these are the people that are showing up and our voices should be heard and taken seriously. >> reporter: voices from inside the capitol and out. this debate over guns and the right to bear arms, as old as our country itself. for "nightline" i'm victor oquendo in richmond, virginia. >> our thanks to victor tonight. up next, breaking up with the family and finally breaking his silence on that royal exit. did you know that every single flush fling odors onto your soft surfaces? then they get released back into the air so you smell them later. ew. right? that's why febreze created small spaces. press firmly and watch it get to work... unlike the leading cone, small spaces continuously eliminates odors in the air and on surfaces so they don't come back for 45 days.

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there is no turning back fo of faith with his wife and negn a royal era. what harry says he had to give up in order to live as a commoner. >> i want you to hear the truth from me. as much as i can share. not as a prince or a duke but as harry. >> reporter: for nearly two weeks an unprecedented royal family crisis. and this past weekends prince harry finally breaking his silence in an emotional speech. >> i've grown up feeling supported from so many of you. and i watched as you welcomed meghan with open arms, as you saw me find the love and happiness that i'd hoped for all my life. finally, the second son of diana got hitched. hooray. >> reporter: the beloved son of

princess diana, who the world watched grow from redheaded boy to rebellious teenager to military vet. now saying good-bye. >> once meghan and i were married we were excited. we were hopeful and we were here to serve. >> reporter: explaining why he and his new american wife, meghan markle, felt they had no choice but to walk away from the only life he's ever known. >> the decision that i have made for my wife and i to step back is not one i made lightly. it was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. and i know i haven't always got it right, but as far as this goes there really was no other option. >> reporter: the duke and duchess of sussex set off an international firestorm after announcing on instagram they were stepping back as senior royals, aiming to be financially independent. >> royal bombshell. >> the growing fallout from harry and meghan's royal exit. >> did the queen know this was coming? >> this is pretty unprecedented

because this is a senior member of the royal family, a very popular one too, effectively saying he no longer wants to carry on in his royal duties. >> reporter: after an emergency summit the queen released a statement this weekend saying that "while harry, meghan and archie will always be much loved members of my family, they will be making a complete professional separation from the royal family." >> this is a clean break for harry and meghan. perhaps not the move they wanted to make. but it woos their desire to pursue commercial interests that could have been seen as cashing in on the royal family's name that prevented them from remaining inside the house of windsor. >> reporter: harry and meghan will no longer perform any public duties on behalf of the queen and will no longer use their royal highnesses titles. >> they're not being stripped of their titles, but they have agreed not to use them in their new public endeavors. they will still be able to use duke and duchess of sussex. >> reporter: perhaps most painful for prince harry, he'll be forced to relinquish his military titles and

associations. prince harry found his purpose in the military. he served in the british army for ten years with active service twice in afghanistan. >> it's very easy to completely forget about who i am when i'm in the army. i'm one of the guys. i don't get treated any differently. >> reporter: but he is giving all that up for a new life with his family in north america. >> i've accepted this knowing that it doesn't change who i am or how committed i am. but i hope that helps you understand what it had come to. that i would step my family back from all i have ever known to take a step forward into what i hope can be a more peaceful life. >> reporter: the couple will keep their private charities, including harry's flagship project, the invictus games for wounded soldiers. where harry and meghan have ended up is a far cry from bega. a royal wedding watched by millions. but it's not been the fairy tale they hoped for.

back in october in an itv documentary harry and meghan, an african journey, meghan admitted that royal life has been overwhelming. >> not many people have asked if i'm okay. but it's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes. >> would it be fair to say not really okay, it's really been a struggle? >> yes. >> reporter: the sussexes' surprise announcement to walk away reportedly upset his brother william and his father, prince charles, who walked meghan down the aisle. >> there's no doubt from the people i've spoken to close to charles that he feels extremely disappointed and let down by what's happened but accepts that harry and meghan want their life in a different way. but he still feels let down. >> reporter: today prince charles's wife camilla was asked by itv if she will miss her stepson and his wife. >> of course. >> reporter: the perceived rift between harry and william is especially disheartening for

fans of the royal brothers. the young dukes were inseparable as children and leaned on one another after the death of their mother, diana. in itv's documentary harry addressed the ongoing reports of tension. >> how much of that is true? >> stuff -- stuff happens. but look, we're brothers. we'll always be brothers. >> reporter: now harry and his wife will begin their new life in canada, where meghan has been living with their son. meghan has already started focusing on one of her key issues, female empowerment, with a visit to a women's center in vancouver last week. >> she didn't talk about her life as a royal. it was very much focused on the women. >> reporter: the couple hope they can build a life outside of the glare of the british tabloids, who harry blames for the death of his mother. >> the media is a powerful force, and my hope is one day or collective support for each other could be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us.

>> reporter: prince harry and meghan have felt under siege from the start, exacerbated by coverage of meghan's estranged father thomas, who just gave a new interview to uk's channel 5. >> they're keeping it, they're making it shabby, they're turning it into a walmart with a crown on it now. >> reporter: when they can harry and meghan have hit back against the press. last fall meghan filed suit against the mail on sunday and its parent company. and harry announced he was suing the sun and the daily mirror for allegedly hacking his phone. in her statement about the couple's future the queen acknowledging the pressure they face, saying, "i recognize the challenges they've experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life." prince harry and meghan will no longer receive public funds and will pay back the 3.1 million british taxpayers spent renovating frogmore cottage. the future of the name sussex royal which they have branded remains in question.

>> some believe it looks like they're cashing in on their royal status. but others say they should be free to do what they want. >> reporter: all this is uncharted territory. >> i'm sure people will be throwing opportunities their way. but they've made it very clear that anything that they do do they are going to respect the values of the queen and the integrity that she upholds. >> reporter: prince harry headed to canada, a new chapter still in the public eye but now on their own terms. >> i will continue to be the same man who holds his country dear and dedicates his life to supporting the causes, charities and military communities that are so important to me. this role has told me more about what is right and just than i could ever have imagined. we are taking a leap of faith. so thank you for giving me the courage to take this next step. >> and be sure to follow continuing royal coverage on abcnews.com. coming up, carrying the

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and finally tonight, the

fourth and fifth-graders in houston competing in an annual oratory competition, delivering speeches inspired by the words of martin luther king jr. this year's topic, what would dr. king's vision be for america in 2020? >> we must go back and review dr. king's dream for all mankind. >> the greatness of a nation and the future depends on the visions and actions of the citizens in the present. >> dr. king once said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. >> i believe the best of us comes out when we work collectively as a team. >> i don't believe that dr. king would have imagined that this would be our america in 2020. >> we need to stop letting political parties divide us as a nation. >> let's use the symphony as

our -- and all embrace the unique instruments that create harmo harmony. >> we must do it one home at a time, one community at a time, and one day at a time. >> there is only one race. the human race. >> today my vision for america 2020 is still the same! let freedom ring and love as one great nation. >> and clearly anyone big or small can make a difference. that's "nightline." you can always catch our full episodes on hulu. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.

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