Michigan bans open carry of guns in state Capitol as FBI warns of violence

Michigan banned the open carry of guns inside its Capitol building on Monday, following mob violence last week at the US Capitol and last year’s storming of the Michigan statehouse.

Trump impeachment: Democrats formally charge president with inciting insurrection

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The Michigan ban came as reports detailed FBI warnings about possible violence at state capitols and in Washington in the run-up to the 20 January inauguration of Joe Biden.

An FBI report on 29 December, quoted by Yahoo News, warned that “some [Trump] followers indicated willingness to commit violence in support of their ideology, created contingency plans in the event violence occurred at the events, and identified law enforcement security measures and possible countermeasures”.

In Washington last Wednesday, a US Capitol police officer and four others were killed in an attack by Trump supporters. Political fallout from that event continues in parallel with a federal effort to arrest participants in the insurrection.

Donald Trump has said he will leave power but has not dropped his baseless claim that his election defeat was caused by voter fraud.

Security officials are preparing for a large crowd in Washington for the inauguration, and state officials are preparing for protests.

On Monday, ABC News reported a similar FBI bulletin warning of armed protests “at all 50 state capitols” and in Washington, but neither the date of that bulletin nor the evidentiary basis for its advice was given.

ABC reported that the FBI was monitoring plans for armed protests against Trump’s election defeat between Saturday and 20 January. The outlet said it had obtained an internal bulletin that detailed calls for the “storming” of state, local and federal courthouses and buildings, if Trump is removed from power before inauguration day.

House Democrats formally introduced an article of impeachment on Monday, charging Trump with inciting an insurrection in regard to the riot at the US Capitol, which has led to multiple arrests.

Democrats also called on Vice-President Mike Pence to implement the 25th amendment to the constitution and remove Trump from power. That effort seems unlikely to succeed. Any impeachment trial in the Senate is not likely to be held until after Trump has left office.

Nonetheless, the ABC reporter Aaron Katersky said the FBI had “received information about an identified armed group intending to travel to Washington DC on 16 January [Saturday]. They have warned that if Congress attempts to remove [Trump] via the 25th amendment a huge uprising will occur.”

Security around the Capitol has been stepped up.

Armed men stormed the Michigan capitol in April, protesting social restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19. It later emerged that a group had plotted to kidnap and perhaps kill the governor, the Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.