Militia movement (United States)

The Militia movement is an unorganized political movement of paramilitary groups in the United States that claim legitimacy under the Militia Clause, Second Amendment, and often similar provisions of state constitutions. Members of the movement typically refer to themselves as "militia," "unorganized militia," [Mulloy, Darren. "American Extremism: History, Politics and the Militia Movement" Routledge, 2004.] and "constitutional militia." [The mythic meanings of the Second Amendment : taming political violence in a constitutional republic. David C Williams. Yale University Press. Page 363. ISBN 0300095627 [http://books.google.com/books?id=9IReoC_EcJ4C&pg=PA363&dq=%22constitutional+militia%22&ei=PaAwR4aGKoiUtgPP0eSuCQ&sig=B8ttXxel4yWtM-KGpIoG-Cpjni0] .] While groups such as the Posse Comitatus existed as early as the 1980s, the movement gained momentum after controversial standoffs with government agents in the early nineties, and by the mid-nineties, groups were active in all 50 states with membership estimated at between 20,000 and 60,000.Berlet, Chip & Lyons, Matthew. [http://www.publiceye.org/tooclose/chapter-excerpt.html "Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort"] , Guilford, 2000. ISBN 1-57230-562-2] Although in unconnected groups, they are almost always united in their beliefs of the federal government's threat to their freedom, and in particular the movement's opposition to any limit of the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Outreach is conducted through the distribution of literature at gun shows, shortwave radio, newsletters, and more recently, the Internet.

History

The Militia movement is a paramilitary outgrowth of the independent survivalist movement, tax-protester movement and other movements in the subculture in the United States. The formation of the militias was influenced by the historical precedent of existing paramilitary movements such as the Posse Comitatus, and groups associated with protecting liberties of governed people.

Although the far-right Patriot movement had long been marginalized, certain cultural factors paved the way for the wide scale growth of the libertarian or ideological Militia movement. This attitude grew with the Federal government's own expansions of powers.

Precursor groups existed in the form of small militias that had organized during the 1970s and 1980s, but the movement underwent a wave of growth and rose to prominence in American culture in the 1990s. Events such as the killing of Gordon Kahl by government agents, the controversies of the Presidency of Bill Clinton, and the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement angered those on the right and left. The catalysts came in the form of the FBI's 1992 shootout with Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, and the government's 1993 siege and eventual destruction of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. [http://www.publiceye.org/rightist/dj_mili.html Rise Of Citizen Militias: Angry White Guys With Guns] Daniel Junas "CovertAction Quarterly" April 24, 1995] [Morris Dees, "Gathering Storm: America's Militia Threat". Harper Perennial (April 23, 1997) ISBN 0060927895 ] Robert H. Churchill, "Arming for the Last Battle: Secular and Religious Millennial Impulses within the Militia Movement", 1999 Annual Conference of the Center for Millennial Studies, Boston University, Boston, MA, November 9, 1999. [http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/CHURCHILL/CMS_Paper.pdf Online copy] ] Historian Mark Pitcavage described the Militia movement of the 1990s:Pitcavage, Mark; Institute for Intergovernmental Research: "Camouflage and Conspiracy. The Militia Movement From Ruby Ridge to Y2K". American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 44, No. 6, Pages 957-981, SAGE Publications, 2001.]

Some Militia groups saw the Davidians and the Weaver family as martyrs, and used Ruby Ridge and Waco as examples of the federal government's threat to people who refused to conform, and additionally those two events became a rallying cry to form militias to defend the people against the forces of a government perceived as hostile. Both incidents involved weapons alleged to be illegal and federal agents' efforts to confiscate them. In both incidents, the government failed to produce evidence of illegal activity. Government agencies responsible for the deaths of the Branch Davidians, and members of the Weaver family at Ruby Ridge, were later exonerated and excused of further investigation. This heightened tensions in militias, as many leaders were gun rights advocates and firm believers in the right to bear arms.

Resentment of the federal government only heightened with the passage of the Brady Act in 1993 and the Assault Weapons Ban a year later. Those laws also helped to drive more moderate gun owners into sympathy with some of the Militia movement's positions. The FBI's shooting of Vicki and Sam Weaver at Ruby Ridge also alienated many in the gun rights movement. Some members of the Militia movement viewed this as an attempt by the government to disarm the American people, a preliminary step to clear the way for an invasion of United Nations troops and the establishment of a New World Order. Many people joined militias in order to, in their eyes, protect their rights from an intruding government.

The growth of movement had not gone unnoticed. During the 1990s public attention to the Militia movement began to grow. The Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, the anniversary of Waco, drew nation-wide attention to the Militia movement with the revelation that Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols had links to armed right wing groups. This increased public scrutiny and law enforcement pressure, as well as brought in more recruits due to the heightened awareness of the movement. [http://www.publiceye.org/rightist/milnatbl.html Militia Nation] Chip Berlet and Matthew N. Lyons "Progressive Magazine"]

In March 1996, agents of the FBI and other law enforcement organizations surrounded the 960-acre eastern Montana "Justus Township" compound of the Montana Freemen. The Freemen were a Sovereign Citizen group that included elements of the Christian Identity ideology, common law legal theories, and rejected the authority of the Federal Reserve. Montana legislator Carl Ohs mediated through the standoff. Both Randy Weaver of Ruby Ridge and Bo Gritz had attempted to talk to the group but had given up in frustration, as did Colorado Senator Charlie Duke when he had attempted negotiations. [http://www.cnn.com/US/9606/13/freemen.11p/ Freemen surrender peacefully to FBI] "Cable News Network" June 14, 1996] A break finally came when far right leaders abandoned the group to their fate. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9902E5D61739F936A25755C0A960958260 Freemen Were Alone] "New York Times" June 15, 1996] The group surrendered peacefully after an 81 day standoff and 14 of the Freemen faced criminal charges relating to circulating millions of dollars in bogus checks and threatening the life of a federal judge.

Another incident occurred in Fort Davis, Texas a year later in March 1997 when a faction of the self-styled "Republic of Texas" militia group seized hostages. The Republic of Texas group believed that the annexation of Texas as a state in 1845 was illegal, that Texas should remain an independent nation, and that the legitimate government Texas was their leadership. [http://www.cnn.com/US/9704/27/texas.update/index.html?iref=newssearch One injured in separatist standoff] "CNN News" April 27, 1997] Joe and Margaret Ann Rowe were taken at gunpoint in retaliation for the arrest of member Robert J. Scheidt, who had been arrested on weapons charges. Leader Richard McLaren then declared that the group was in a state of war with the federal government.Separatists End Texas Standoff As 5 Surrender Sam Howe Verhovek "New York Times" May 4, 1997] The property was then surrounded by the entire Jeff Davis County sheriff's department, state troopers, Texas Rangers, and agents of the FBI. McLaren's wife, Evelyn, convinced him to surrender peacefully after a week-long standoff. The McLarens and four other Republic of Texas members were sent to prison.

The militia movement has been the target of harsh government actions. Federal tactics at Ruby Ridge and Waco have been described as abuses of power and a violation of due process. Civil rights groups such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center worked to portray militias as racist, despite there only being only tenuous connections to White supremacists, and as an anarchist threat to the national government in an effort to discredit them. Similarly media coverage of the Militia movement has been described as an attempt at demonization."Searching for a Demon: The Media Construction of the Militia Movement" Steven M. Chermak Northeastern November 7, 2002] Following the Oklahoma City bombing, news coverage and a moral panic changed the formerly obscure militias into the new face of domestic terrorism.

As of 2001, the militia movement seemed to be in decline, having peaked in 1996 with 858 groups. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1325330.stm] Even the Michigan Militia (which McVeigh and the Nichols brothers had grown frustrated with due to their seeming preference for talk over action) [http://www.eyeonhate.com/mcveigh/mcveigh6.html] disbanded. Prior to that, it had kicked out its most radical members in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing; they formed the North American Militia, whose leaders, Brad Metcalf and Randy Graham, later received 40- and 55-year sentences, respectively, for terrorist plots against the IRS and federal officials.

Since the 21st century, the Militia movement has gained popularity again. With the attacks of September 11th, 2001, the subsequent actions of the government, and the general rise of nationalism, several citizens have banded together to form private Militias.

Militias' primary forms of outreach are gun shows, shortwave radio, newsletters, and the Internet. [http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/Militia_M.asp?xpicked=4&item=19]

Ideology

The ideology of the Militia movement is political, conspiratorial, and community based. Militia groups claim legitimacy based on colonial writings; Article 1, section 8 and the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution; the Militia Act of 1792; Title 10, [http://uscode.house.gov/uscode-cgi/fastweb.exe?getdoc+uscview+t09t12+170+0++%28%29%20%20AND%20%28%2810%29%20ADJ%20USC%29%3ACITE%20AND%20%28USC%20w%2F10%20%28311%29%29%3ACITE%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20 Section 311] of the United States Code; and the concept of an independent wing of the citizenry that enacts their own government beliefs. Their beliefs centers around opposition to the power of federal and/or local governments and limitations imposed by governing parties or erosions of liberties by governing parties. [Crothers, Lane: "The Cultural Foundations of the Modern Militia Movement". New Political Science, Volume 24, Issue 2 June 2002, pages 221 - 234] Some Militias are also formed in order to protect a community from outside intervention or perceived negative influence by outside parties. Some Militias have also formed around a particular ideology without all members agreeing on every particular issue. Power struggles, politics, and disagreements persist like any organization, and hence internal ideologies can change from time to time.

Some of the movement sees power of a government as a form of tyranny. Their anti-government beliefs focus on taxes, regulations, and gun control efforts as perceived threats to constitutional liberties. Many of their views are similar to the John Birch Society, tax protester movement, county supremacy movement, state sovereignty movement, and the states’ rights movement. Gun control is considered unconstitutional, and a move toward fascism by the government. The controversial novel "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross in 1996 is an example of these beliefs. However, not all Militias are armed, or support the use of violence in political change.

The ideology most commonly associated with the Militia movement is the Christian Patriot movement, and the belief in the creation of a singular world government by shadowy figures. Most militias are derived by a local populace who come to common belief, and so ideologies tend to differ by region. Most agree upon local regulation opposed to federal or state regulation. Few militias publish ideological beliefs due to intervention by government authorities. It is impossible to assume that all militias across the United States share universal beliefs.

ee also

*Christian Patriot movement

Notes

External links

* [http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/Militia_M.asp The Militia Movement] - ADL report
*Paul de Armond, [http://www.publicgood.org/reports/belief Christian Patriots At War with the State]
*Paul de Armond, [http://www.publicgood.org/reports/nullify.htm The Anti-democratic Movement: more than militias]
*Paul de Armond, [http://www.publicgood.org/reports/nosodist/ A Not So Distant Mirror]
*Paul de Armond, [http://www.publicgood.org/reports/spectrum/ Putting the Far Right into Perspective]