This is one of the mysteries of that day. How were the organizers able to convince EVERYONE in the crowd to leave their firearms in their car or hotel room?

In my opinion, January 6 was designed to give Mr. Trump the excuse to call martial law and suspend the certification of EC votes. With that part of the constitution not fulfilled, he would remain president until he gave approval for Congress to meet again. This would have created a constitutional crisis, not an insurrection.

While I have your attention, I also wonder about the EC meeting after the protest was quelled. Why did the Republicans agree to go back to vote? Are there not quorum rules to hold a proper vote? Nobody has been able to explain the exact rules or why the R's returned.