RICHMOND, Va. - Armed protests in the United States are six times more likely to turn violent as unarmed protests, according to a new report, and researchers say the growing numbers of these demonstrations pose a threat to democracy.

The report examined more than 30,000 demonstrations across the country in the past 18 months, many in state capitals, said Justin Wagner, director of investigations for Everytown for Gun Safety, who led the research team. He said rallies with folks who bear arms, especially in states such as Virginia with open-carry gun laws, have been on the rise since a January 2020 pro-gun rally in Richmond.

"In the last two years or so, there's been an increasingly frequent refrain of right-wing militant groups - whether it's the Oath Keepers, or Three Percenters, Proud Boys - who are taking to demonstrations and using guns to intimidate," Wagner said, "and we think that intimidation is really dangerous to our democracy."

Many protesters who bring guns to rallies have said it's their constitutional right, and that bringing firearms to public spaces can make people safer. However, the study found demonstrations involving at least one armed individual tend to be violent or destructive nearly 16% of the time.

Wagner explained that the majority of demonstrations that encourage guns have been driven by reactions to left-wing activism, and by far-right mobilization. He noted that armed rallies have become so common that the nation has seen more than 500 of them in just the last year and a half.

"The peak of armed protests was the summer of 2020, and there was a secondary peak around the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol," he said. "Since then, the numbers have actually been on the rise, and in June we've seen armed protests significantly on the rise compared to where they were earlier in the year."

The report found that the top states for numbers of armed demonstrations are Oregon, Texas, Washington state and Pennsylvania, all of which allow open-carry of firearms. Pennsylvania and Washington state allow open carry without a permit.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas has some of the weakest gun laws in America, and gun-control advocates say the permissive attitude may be why a student took a gun to school last week, which led to a shooting, injuring four people.

A Texas law took effect Sep. 1, allowing residents who are 21 or older to carry handguns in public without a license. The Arlington high school student involved in the shooting was 18.

Kris Brown, president of Brady United Against Gun Violence, said it is alarming once again "back to school" has meant back to school shootings.

"This is a uniquely American epidemic," Brown asserted. "As a parent, I'm disgusted that we continue to live this way."

On Nov. 3, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a major Second Amendment case centered on whether the Constitution guarantees the right to carry guns outside the home.

Brown pointed out between August 1 and Sep. 15, there have been at least 30 instances of gunfire on school grounds, killing five and wounding more than 20 people.

"The culture is, 'Well, of course, the way to solve conflicts is to bring a gun,'" Brown stated. "We have solutions to this sitting before us, and we're not acting on them."

While the permitless-carry law easily passed the Texas legislature, Brown noted police associations were opposed.

"It's law enforcement across the state of Texas who were most vocal in saying, 'Please, don't overturn the permitting system that has worked really well,'" Brown observed.

The number of shootings in Texas, not including suicides, increased 14% this year, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive.

AUSTIN, Texas - Texans age 21 and older can carry handguns without a license or training starting today, despite opposition from instructors who teach people how to be responsible shooters.

Legislation signed by Gov. Greg Abbott eliminates the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns. Raul Camacho, chief firearms instructor at Safety Measures LLC, and 50 other experts urged lawmakers to vote against the bill. Camacho said he believes training helps reduce the main reasons for gun accidents, which he said are ignorance and carelessness.

"To have people less educated on the laws, less educated on the actual firearm and how to use it, and have no basic training whatsoever," he said, "it's a recipe for disaster."

Before today, Texas residents only could obtain a license to carry a handgun after completing a four-hour course by a licensed instructor and demonstrating basic shooting ability by firing at a target. Another gun-related bill signed by the governor allows school marshals and hotel guests to carry guns.

Supporters of the new law have said it will allow Texans to better defend themselves in public and abolish what they see as barriers to the constitutional right to bear arms. Camacho said that argument, about restoring gun owners' rights, doesn't make sense to him.

"Restore what rights? You know, you can carry a long gun, a shotgun in public without a license; you can carry your handgun in your vehicle - have it in your home," he said. "People's rights were never taken away."

Texas already has at least 1.6 million handgun license holders. It also has been the site of several mass shootings, including at an El Paso Walmart, a church in Sutherland Springs and a high school outside Houston.

MINNEAPOLIS - Cities such as Minneapolis are getting attention over waves of gun violence in recent months. A statewide group hopes a new documentary brings to light some of the root causes of shootings and helps all Minnesotans see how the issue affects them.

According to the Department of Public Safety, Minnesota saw a nearly 17% increase in violent crime last year. In places such as North Minneapolis, gun violence often is the focal point of headlines.

Ayolanda Evans Mack, director of community response and education for the group Protect Minnesota, said the public narrative leads many to believe Black and Brown communities are inherently violent. She said that misperception makes it harder to get to the bottom of these incidents.

"How communities are living, how they have been historically and currently marginalized in so many different ways - housing and education, and access to health care," she said.

She contended that while many cities grapple with gun violence, small numbers of residents are responsible. She said she thinks the underlying issues can be addressed by dismantling historic barriers, along with more government funding for violence-prevention work.

The group will premiere the short film Saturday afternoon during its annual fundraiser at Veterans Memorial Park in Richfield.

Evans Mack said while residents outside the Twin Cities might not think the issue impacts their lives, it does -- including how some of their tax dollars are spent.

"For people who have been in violent situations with guns, whether they've been shot or killed," she said, "the resources that have to go into rehabilitation for that person or the family."

She added that violent incidents also result in more prison beds. As a group, Protect Minnesota has said it isn't generally opposed to firearms, but hopes the film also sparks conversations about the dangers in rural areas, such as suicides linked to guns. Suicide makes up 77% of all firearm deaths in the state, with higher case totals in northern and central Minnesota.