An Appeal To Fathers To Oppose “Stand Your Ground” Laws

Today I celebrate being the father of my two small children, and for them to celebrate me.  Since we just got back from a week-long vacation, I plan to take it easy and hang out at home, opening whatever heartfelt gifts they give me, doing fatherly things like cooking out and doing home improvement projects, and giving them lots of hugs.  I love my children, and would never want anything bad to happen to them.

Sadly, each year, around thirty thousand people are shot and killed in America.  Three thousand of them are children and teens.  Another 17,500 children and teens are injured by gunfire.  The vast majority of these children (and adults) have fathers who love them as much as I love my own.  I can only imagine the grief and torment these fathers must go through upon learning that the children they nurtured and tried to keep safe are now dead or injured by a bullet.

One father is speaking out about the death of his child: Tracy Martin, father of Trayvon Martin – a boy shot down by an over-zealous gun nut who used Florida’s "Stand Your Ground" (SYG) law as an excuse to stalk and ultimately shoot and kill an unarmed teen.

Here is Mr. Martin’s appeal:

Like Tracy Martin, I urge all readers to contact their state governors and legislators and ask them to review their state’s “stand yourground” laws. 

And what will those governors find?  The Tampa Bay Times recently did a study of Florida’s law.  What they found was shocking.  No doubt many of the cases were truly justified shootings.  But, as you'll see by the findings, the potential for abuse is very, very high.  Justice has not been done.


From the review:

• People often go free under "stand your ground" in cases that seem to make a mockery of what lawmakers intended. One man killed two unarmed people and walked out of jail. Another shot a man as he lay on the ground. Others went free after shooting their victims in the back. In nearly a third of the cases the Times analyzed, defendants initiated the fight, shot an unarmed person or pursued their victim — and still went free.

• Similar cases can have opposite outcomes. Depending on who decided their cases, some drug dealers claiming self-defense have gone to prison while others have been set free. The same holds true for killers who left a fight, only to arm themselves and return. Shoot someone from your doorway? Fire on a fleeing burglar? Your case can swing on different interpretations of the law by prosecutors, judge or jury.

Some of their findings suggest racism in the successful outcome of SYG trials. Two-thirds of the defendants used guns.  In 75% of the cases (148 out of 200), the victim wasn’t even committing a crime that led to the confrontation.

70% (135 out of 192) of the victims were unarmed during the confrontation.

In a quarter of the cases (53 out of 200), there were no witnesses to the shooting.  That means that, if the victim died, the case comes down to the word of the shooter against that of a dead man.  In over half of the cases (110 out of 200), there was either no physical evidence or it is unclear if physical evidence was found.  Given that people who have successfully used the SYG defense include drug dealers and gang members, these data are truly alarming.

HERE is a database of findings from the study.

These results stand in stark contrast to the argument by the NRA, who crafted these laws, that only law-abiding citizens would use SYG laws, and only to protect themselves against imminent and lethal danger.

25 states currently have SYG laws, and the NRA and other gun lobbies are pushing to have them in all 50 states.

Today, if you are a father, love your children and hold them tight.  But also keep in mind that too many die from gunfire each year.  Don’t let your child be one of these.  Fight hard for sensible gun law reform, so that you won’t be the next grieving father on YouTube urging other fathers to do the same.

You Are More Likely To Be Shot To Death In The U.S. Than In War-Torn Somalia and Yemen

Lately,  Oklahoma passed a law allowing open carry of firearms by anyone who could qualify for a conceal carry license, just in case you feel so paranoid about being shot that you must wear your gun on the outside of your jacket “for all the honest world to feel” as you walk into a Tulsa McDonald’s for your Big Mac.

"I am about the right to bear arms and constitutional freedoms," [Sheriff] Walton said. "I however have great concern for this law and the position it puts law enforcement in." 

The law could create more enforcement calls, create unnecessary distractions and interfere with public safety. 

Walton also points to the loss of tactical advantage for individuals that currently carry a concealed weapon. 

"There is a lot of 'what if' that surrounds the law and it will take some time to see how this plays out," Walton said.

Oklahoma isn’t alone.  Many states are moving this way as pro-gun extremist lobbies, particularly the NRA, urge them to do so, despite the fact that surveys show a majority of citizens oppose it.  Even in Tulsa, the opinion was evenly split.  Good enough for the NRA and their legislative lackeys.  By and large, law enforcement organizations in those states are strongly against it.  Apparently the NRA thinks it knows more about what is necessary to control crime.

27 states now allow open carry in some form.  12 of those don’t even require the same scrutiny of a conceal carry license.  17 others allow it under certain circumstances or passively allow it.  Only 6 actively oppose it in all circumstances outside of hunters and law enforcement.

Bolstered by these numbers, gun extremists continue to hold rallies to legalize unregulated open carry, like this recent one in Michigan featuring camo-clad gun fetishists with their assault rifles strapped to their backs as if they were headed off to Afghanistan.

Rallies like these remind me of scenes in some third-world countries, like Somalia or Yemen, where assault weapon-wielding men brandish their guns without fear of reprisal.  So I made the following poster:

But is this really a fair comparison?  Even I had doubts.  After all, Somalia has been in a decades-long civil war, with famine and drought, and is infamous for its hostage-taking pirates.  Yemen isn’t much better.  It, too, has been in a civil war, is a hub for Al-Qaeda, is the poorest Arabian country, has suicide attacks, and has a large swath of its territory chaotically ruled by local warlords instead of a national government (remember “Blackhawk Down”?).  So I researched some numbers. 

Here’s my shocking finding:

You are more likely to be murdered with a gun in the United States than to be murdered by any means in Somalia and Yemen.

Yes, that’s right.  Let me restate it:  Gun violence is more likely to be your cause of death here in the streets and homes of America than any form of homicide in either of these god-forsaken, war-torn, chaotic third-world countries (and I’m only talking about homicides here, not including accidental shootings, suicides, law enforcement, or defensive shootings).

Let’s look at the numbers, shall we?  The most recent year in which I could find data for all three countries was 2004 (the last year I could find for Somalia).

In Somalia in 2004 (from a World Bank study, from THIS link), there was a civilian homicide rate of 3.30 / 100K for ALL methods.

In Yemen in 2004, there was a civilian homicide rate of 2.85 / 100K for ALL methods.  (also found from the same World Bank study, from THIS link; the most recent year cited, 2008, had a rate of 4.00 / 100K).

In 2004, the United States had homicide rate of 3.97 / 100K for FIREARMS ALONE (according to CDC WISQARS data) (to compare with the most recent Yemen data, 2008 gun homicides in the U.S. also had a rate of 4.00 / 100K).

(For those interested in the rate for all forms of homicide in the U.S., in 2004 it was 5.88 / 100K, and in 2008 it was 5.86 / 100K.)

It’s important to note that these shooting rates also mirror the rates of gun ownership (again, data is from www.gunpolicy.org):

Rate of private gun ownership out of 179 countries:  America is 1st.  Yemen is 10th.  Somalia is 58th.

Private guns in America:  88.8 / 100 people

Private guns in Yemen:  54.8 / 100 people

Private guns in Somalia:  9.1 / 100 people

Every American should stand up and pay attention.  We are quick to condemn nations like Somalia and Yemen for their wanton violence and lawlessness (and they should be condemned for it), and yet these numbers show that we are dying in higher numbers right here in our streets and homes, from gunfire or any other method.  The NRA’s answer is to flood the streets with as many guns as possible, and to flaunt those guns openly with open carry laws and rallies.  But gun ownership numbers show that we already have a far, far higher rate of gun ownership in the U.S.  By the NRA’s flawed logic, we should be the safest nation on Earth.  Instead, we are one of the deadliest. 

We, of course, should fight gun violence in any form and in any nation, but let’s concentrate on where it’s worst – right here at our own door -- and create a new trajectory for our community against gun violence.

Survivor Story: The Shooting I Was In

I was in a shooting in the summer of 1990.  Luckily, I wasn't injured.  Today is the anniversary.

It was June 1 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and I was 18 years old, looking forward to entering college.  It had been an eventful summer already, with the robbery of my home a couple months earlier.  I had worked with a sheriff's detective to identify the three teens who had kicked in my door and robbed the place while I and my family were away, and I helped identify their motive (they pawned our things to pay off a drug debt to a biker called "Concrete").  I had also had a job working nights as a custodian at a local health club.  I was healthy, happy, and had a lot to look forward to.  With all that had already happened, I figured I had another couple months or so to relax and enjoy the warm summer nights of Arkansas before hitting the books in college.

I was getting ready to go to my night job that night when I got a call from my best friend, Jason.  He told me that a mutual friend, Ryan, was at the mall and was about to get jumped by some bullies.  He implored me to go and get Ryan and get him out of there, since I had a car and he did not.  I reluctantly agreed, since the mall was on my way to work.

It was getting dark when I got to the mall.  I looked everywhere, and over an hour later was about to leave when I finally found Ryan at the south entrance.  I told him my "mission" and tried to get him out, but he refused to leave until he had watched something that was happening just outside the entrance, in the parking lot.  Annoyed, I followed him and found a large group of teens clustered around a car.  Night had fallen, and everything was bathed in the yellow light from the parking lot poles.

A large boy, whom I later found out was an 18-year old named John Raper, was standing by the passenger side of a Mercedes talking to a boy inside the car, and I couldn't hear what was being said.  The boy inside was a slim 16-year old named Mark Haynes, as I later learned, more commonly called "Skater Mark."  He was clearly intimidated by the larger kid.  The large group of teens circled around them were expecting a fight.  I had never met either boy, nor particularly cared about them;  I just wanted to get Ryan and get out in time to get to work.  Much later, I learned that John and Mark had a feud over a girlfriend.  I also learned later that Mark had been drinking.

The argument between the boys became more hostile, and they raised their voices.  Not only was Mark visibly intimidated by John, but he no doubt felt he had to do something now that he was being scrutinized by a growing crowd of peers.  Mark suddenly threw open the door to the car and jumped out.  A shoving match began.  Mark was obviously frightened, but John didn't appear the least bit concerned.  He crossed his muscle-bound arms and smirked at the smaller boy.

That's when Skater Mark pulled out a black semi-auto handgun.  Everyone screamed, and the crowd pulled away.  Some kids ran.  I and another boy crouched behind another car.  A newspaper article later said the gun was a .9mm.

"I've got a gun, motherfucker!" Mark screamed at John, "and I'm not afraid to use it!"

John acted nonchalant, not raising a hand at Mark, but not backing down either.

"These are real bullets, motherfucker!" Mark screamed, wanting to scare John and seeming to fail.  He ejected the clip to show John, then slammed it back in the gun.  "I'm going to fucking shoot you!"

John's demeanor didn't change.  If he said anything at all, I don't remember it.

Then Mark raised the weapon and fired a shot into John's forehead.

I was only about six feet away.

The next few moments seemed to pass in slow motion.  John's head flew back.  His hat went flying.  His body fell backward against the side of the Mercedes and then slid down and slumped to the pavement in a sitting position.

Everyone screamed and scattered.  I and the other boy crouched lower and watched as Mark got back into the passenger side of the Mercedes.

I told the boy next to me to help me remember the Mercedes license plate number, thinking that Mark would speed away.  Instead, Mark jumped back out of the car and started off away from the mall, staggering, dazed and seeming to make a run for it.

I and some other kids ran over to John.  He wasn't moving and wasn't breathing.  I pressed my fingers to his neck, trying to read for a pulse and desperately trying to remember my Boy Scout first aid training.  He was clammy, and I couldn't feel a pulse no matter how I tried.  "I think he's dead," I said to a girl next to me.  There was a bullet hole in his forehead.  Strangely, I don't remember there being much blood at that time.

I looked up, and Skater Mark was now half-way across the huge mall parking lot.  I blurted, "We've got to catch him!"  I ran to my Bronco, which was parked nearby, and drove off after him, not really thinking about what I would do when I got to him.  It was a foolish thing to do, but I was young.  There is no way I would support someone doing such a dangerous thing now.

Seeing me, he started running, and dashed across the busy five-lane highway next to the mall. 

I didn't see exactly where he went, but managed to get across the traffic in my vehicle.  I flashed my lights at some bushes on the property of a church, and he darted out again, this time running back across the highway, back toward the mall.

Again, I managed to get across the traffic and found the boy next to a car full of teens, likely trying to get them to give him a ride.  This time I drove back across the parking lot, back to the scene of the shooting, where I saw that the police had arrived.

The scene of the shooting had perhaps two hundred people around it now, mainly teens, with police and an ambulance.  I stopped my car and ran to what I thought was a police officer, but turned out to be mall security, and tried to tell him where I had last seen the shooter.  The man was a moron and refused to listen to me.  Annoyed, I looked around for an authority to talk to, when suddenly everyone yelled and pointed.  "There he is!" they shouted.

Skater Mark had returned to the scene of the shooting and tried to blend into the crowd.  The police quickly caught him and put him in the back of a cruiser.

I spent the next half hour or so at the scene, comforting a couple of other witnesses and watching in horror as paramedics tried in vain to resuscitate the victim, who was now lying in a pool of blood.  Then they loaded John on an ambulance and drove off.  He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

It was during this time that I discovered the 14-year old younger brother of my friend Jason, named Jeff, in the crowd.  He, too, had witnessed everything.

I gave my information as a witness to a police officer, and he asked me to take Jeff and go to the police station to be interviewed, which I did.  I waited at the station all night long with a couple dozen other teens, including Jeff and Ryan.  There had been another fatal shooting that night, which was gang-related, which delayed the police investigators.  We waited and waited, with local ministers coming to help comfort some of the kids. Finally, around maybe 3 AM, I was the last of the witnesses to be interviewed by the two weary detectives.  I identified the shooter from a photo lineup and gave my account of what happened.  I agreed to be a witness at the trial, if subpoenaed, and was released just before dawn.

During the interview, I finally learned some details about the shooting, like the victim's and shooter's full names, the reason for the argument, and the caliber of the gun. 

I also learned that the gun had jammed and was found in the Mercedes.  No one knew who Mark had tried to shoot the second time.  John, again?  Himself?  A witness?  Me?? 

Weeks passed.  Unlike the other witnesses, I wasn't plagued by nightmares, nor afraid of the scene of the shooting.  Maybe it was because I didn't know the shooter or the victim, or maybe it was because this wasn't my first encounter with gun violence (a friend had committed suicide three years before), but I was able to get past the trauma.  I was subpoenaed, as expected, but didn't have to go.  Skater Mark pleaded guilty, and I got to go to my college freshman pre-orientation instead.

I quickly immersed myself into college life and put my traumatic summer behind me.  Because of this, I'm sorry to say, I never learned what Mark's sentence was.  Since I wasn't family of the victim or the shooter, I wasn't allowed information from this juvenile case, even now. 

The shooting was just one in my town that year, a town overrun with gang violence, so the community quickly grew numb to what had happened.  The blood was cleaned up.  The blurb in the newspaper was forgotten (click on the photo to read it).  The only remnants left were the traumatic memories of the witnesses and the shattered lives and families of two teen boys, one dead, the other in prison.

What lessons can be learned from this event?  Where did the gun come from?  The shooter had been drinking.  Where did he get his alcohol?  Why did he feel it necessary to carry a gun?  If he knew a fight was coming, why did he go to the mall?  In our gun-crazy society, was he bolstered into using a gun by the popular image of a powerful, gun-wielding underdog?  Why didn't he just leave the fight?  Why did he feel it necessary to pull the gun?  Of course, these questions may never be answered. 

Mark bares the responsibility for his actions, but the mistakes made by others that night don't need to be repeated.  Wherever the gun came from, it clearly wasn't locked up away from this young shooter.  Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult -- a careless one, in this case.  Alcohol likely dimmed Mark's senses and increased his risky behavior, so another adult enabled that aspect as well.  And if anyone else knew that Mark had a gun that night, they failed to alert authorities to it.  They are responsible in their own way, too.  And lastly, why didn't John back off, instead of continuing to intimidate Mark?  Was he drunk, too?  Didn't he realize his peril?  He had risky behavior of his own, in bullying Mark at the start and continuing to egg him on, even after the gun was drawn.  There was a time in America when a fight like this would have been handled with fists, and no one would have had to die.  Why is it so easy for children to get their hands on guns?  And why do they feel it necessary, all too often, to use a gun to solve their problems?

Now I'm a father.  I work hard now to try and prevent shootings like the one I was in, prevent guns from getting into the hands of those who shouldn't have them, and encourage commonsense gun regulation through education and legislation.  If we do it right, my children will never need to witness what I did.   

It's time to make a new trajectory for our nation, away from gun violence.

UPDATE (9/10/16):  Here is another eyewitness account of that shooting, by David Hill, who was age 13 at the time: http://tinyletter.com/davidhill/letters/the-devil-you-know 

Shocking: How Do War Deaths Compare To U.S. Shooting Deaths?

Today is Memorial day.  Today we remember our fallen soldiers -- those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to further our nation's interests.  According to an article at CNN, around 600,000 soldiers have died in service to our country since Memorial Day (and its predecessor, Decoration Day) was first observed back in 1868. 

I've had quite a few relatives, living and deceased, who have served, or are serving, in the military. Today is also a time to think about the sacrifices made by those who did not die in battle.  My maternal grandfather was a sailor in WWII, in the Pacific, and returned home safely, passing away as an old man.  The giant flag presented at his memorial service is, today, covering my bay window.  My niece's husband is an Army MP serving abroad.  He's barely spent any time with his new daughter, born in September.  So many first moments missed!  Today I honor him, too.  His wife, my niece, was in Iraq with him as an MP, and is now home with their three young daughters.  My father, stepfather, and numerous great uncles all served in conflict, too, and have passed away.  Luckily, none of my relatives died in battle.

But let us remember, that although we rightly show concern for those who are dying (or surviving) in distant wars, we should also note that far, far more people are dying from gunfire here on our own soil.  People don't like to think about it that way.  They don't want to believe that our nation is warring against gun violence here.  But at 100,000 shootings a year in the U.S., we can't afford to cover our eyes and pretend that all is right.

This weekend I read a post over at the Common Gunsense blog.  There the author, Japete, quoted a disturbing statistic, which was reposted from a page from Legal Community Against Violence: 

Because I write a blog about gun violence prevention, I want to talk about America gun deaths as they compare to deaths of Americans because of war. More people have lost their lives to bullets on the streets and in the homes of American communities than American military members serving since the Viet Nam war:

Between 1955 and 1975, the Vietnam War killed over 58,000 American soldiers – less than the number of civilians killed with guns in the U.S. in an average two-year period.4

In the first seven years of the U.S.-Iraq War, over 4,400 American soldiers were killed. Almost as many civilians are killed with guns in the U.S., however, every seven weeks.5

Those alarming statistics got me to thinking.  How do our yearly fatal shooting numbers compare to other wars?  So I took a closer look at the numbers. 

I list my sources for these statistics at the end of this post.  I compared fatal and non-fatal shootings in the U.S. to battle-caused fatalities and injury statistics of American military from each war (only battle-caused, since those do not count deaths due to non-combat accidents or sicknesses, for instance).

According to CDC statistics of the most recent yearly statistics available, 31,593 people died from lethal shootings in America in 2008 (2,633 per month).  66,769 were injured (5,564 per month).

Then I calculated:  How long would it take for annual shootings in the U.S. to match the total number of deaths or injuries from our modern wars?  Here's the result (click to enlarge):

Yes,  it only takes 15 days for lethal shootings in America to match the total number of servicemen killed in the Afghanistan war.  Only 2 months to match the number killed in Iraq.  A miniscule 2 days to match the Persian Gulf War.  And as for Viet Nam, our most controversial and bloody post-WWII war, it only takes 18 months.

You have to go all the way back to WWII to see numbers that seem somehow more reasonable, and that was a world-wide war requiring the majority of our able-bodied young men to serve, many dying.

But let me point out that this is an unfair test.  Those numbers represent yearly shootings in the U.S. against all combat deaths across ALL years for each war.

It is more fair to compare average yearly U.S. shootings against the average yearly shootings for each war.

Here is what I found (click to enlarge):

Compare the first and second blue columns.  Even if you lump together ALL post-WWII wars, the number killed in battle per year in all those wars combined is only HALF the number shot and killed in America each year.  Half!! 

I've used an "average number of battle deaths per year" value to compare against.  For you gun guys who would argue that I should instead compare against each year of each battle, consider this:  even in the most bloody year of the Vietnam war, 1968, we saw 16,592 soldiers killed.  That's only about half the number of people fatally shot in the U.S. each year.

Japete at Common Gunsense pointed out a meaningful Doonesbury cartoon strip, which pretty much says it all:

I found this interesting article from PolitiFact checking the accuracy of a Doonesbury cartoon strip which noted that in the nine years since the 9-11 attacks 270,000 Americans have died from bullets not having to do with war. From the article:

"What are we like as a people?" Slackmeyer muses to himself in his studio. "Nine years, ago we were attacked -- 3,000 people died. In response, we started two long, bloody wars and built a vast homeland-security apparatus -- all at a cost of trillions! Now consider this. During those same nine years, 270,000 Americans were killed by gunfire at home. Our response? We weakened our gun laws."

Make no bones about it:  The number and rate of shootings here in America shows that we are at war, a war more deadly than any other war we've fought since WWII.  But the enemy isn't across a trench or hiding in a cave.  The enemy is our lax gun laws, allowing with surprising ease the ability of guns to get into the hands of those who shouldn't have them.  The battlefield is anywhere guns are present:  our towns, our streets, our homes.  It's time to make a new trajectory for our nation away from gun violence.

ADDENDUM (2/15/13):  More American citizens have died since 1968 (1,384,171) than U.S. soldiers killed in ALL wars combined (1,171,177).  See the breakdown statistics HERE.

Statistics Sources:

United States shooting deaths and injuries:

http://www.bradycampaign.com/xshare/Facts/Gun_Death_and_Injury_Stat_Sheet_2008__2009_FINAL.pdf

War casualties prior to present wars:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf

Iraq War Casualties:

http://usliberals.about.com/od/homelandsecurit1/a/IraqNumbers.htm

Afghanistan War Casualties: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_casualties_in_Afghanistan

A Timeline of Militia Murders, Plots, and Assorted Other Violent Crimes

(this is a living post, which will be updated regularly)

(For another, perhaps more complete, list of militia and far-right extremist plots, see THIS LINK from the Southern Poverty Law Center)

As I write this, I am preparing my family to observe Memorial Day, which is only two days away.  We are hanging our American flags and getting ready to enjoy an extra day off of work and school.  It is a long weekend to reflect on the values of America and the lives lost by our soldiers in defending America's interests.  I've had a number of family members, living and deceased, who have served in various wars and, in two cases, continue to serve.  Luckily, none have died in combat.

But as we consider our patriotism, think for a moment about those who espouse a more violent interpretation of what it means to be patriotic.  In particular, so-called "citizen militias."  They like to pass themselves off as average citizens who are concerned with helping to protect their communities.  In reality they are gun nuts who, if you visit their websites, are insurrectionist anti-government types who stockpile weapons, play soldier in the woods, and often have racist views, hiding their extremist views behind a radical interpretation of the Second Amendment and glorification of a slanted interpretation of Revolutionary War history.  It is an insurrectionist philosophy which the NRA actively supports.  Sadly, these philosophies attract people who are violent and sometimes terroristic, often with tragic consequences. 

As example: unhappy at being labeled a "fanatic," one militia member recently commented on a blog post about the threat of militias:

"The vast majority are hard-working family folks who live quietly and make the country work and who view their weapons as the last defense line against predatory criminals -- petty freelancers who steal your property and life or the real experts in the theft of property and liberty, the Leviathan federal government. The strategic fact is that we practitioners of the "insurrectionist" theory of the Founders are well-armed beyond any ability of the federal government to disarm, even if they were stupid enough to try. Since the numbers of firearms in private hands continues to skyrocket, even in the middle of a semi-depression, you would do well to remember such inconvenient truths when discussing what should be done with "militia fanatics" like me and my friends."

Sounds like an insurrectionist threat to me!  He made the point of the author quite nicely.

And there has been a recent surge in the number of militias and similar groups in the United States.  From an MSNBC report:

The election of President Barack Obama in 2008 triggered an explosion in the number of militias and so-called patriot groups in the United States, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported in its annual tally of such anti-government organizations.

There were 149 militias and patriot groups when Obama took office, compared to more than 1,200 today — an increase of 755 percent, the nonprofit civil rights organization reported.

"The increase has just been astounding," said Mark Potok, editor-in-chief of the SPLC report. "The reality is that many of these groups are becoming more and more fearful that Barack Obama will win the re-election. You can see the anger rising along with that fear."

The SPLC defines the "patriot" movement as made up of conspiracy-minded individuals who see the federal government as their primary enemy. The movement includes paramilitary militias as well as groups of "sovereign citizens," who believe they are not subject to federal or state laws, nor obligated to pay federal taxes, according to SPLC.

In many countries, such paramilitary groups are rightly outlawed as potential insurgent groups.  There is no good reason for allowing them to exist. 

Below I present a timeline, in reverse chronological order, of murders, anti-government plots, and other violent crimes committed by militia members and, sometimes, entire militia units. 

Similar timelines of militia activities and insurrectionism can be found HERE and HERE.

This timeline will be a "living" report, updated as much as possible.

10/16/16:  Kansas:  A militia group calling themselves the "Crusaders" hatched a plan to bomb and shoot to death Somali Muslims at an apartment complex and mosque.  Their plan was to kill all of them, including babies, saying it would be a "bloodbath."

12/9/15  Eastern Washington:  Schuyler Barbeau, former bodyguard to ranchland stealer Cliven Bundy, and leader of the "Sheepdog" militia, made threats and plotted to lynch public officials he didn't agree with and to "physically remove" a judge who is on the case of a misdemeanor weapons charge against Barbeau.  He was also arrested for selling an illegally-modified rifle.

8/27/12  Ludowici, Georgia:  Four army soldiers based at Fort Stewart, associated with a small militia group they called F.E.A.R., short for Forever Enduring Always Ready, were arrested.  They "plotted to take over Fort Stewart by seizing its ammunition control point and talked of bombing the Forsyth Park fountain in nearby Savannah, she said. In Washington state, she added, the group plotted to bomb a dam and poison the state's apple crop. Ultimately, prosecutors said, the militia's goal was to overthrow the government and assassinate the president."  They funded the purchase of $87K-worth of semi-auto assault rifles and explosive materials with the insurance money from the suspicious death of the pregnant  wife of one of the accused.  The group is also accused of murdering former soldier Michael Roark and his 17-year old girlfriend out of fear of having their plot exposed.

8/16/12  LaPlace, Louisiana:  A group of four white supremacists, associated with the racist Posse Comitatus militia group which doesn't recognize federal authority, were involved in a shooting that killed two sheriff's deputies and wounded two others.  They had initially shot at an off-duty deputy, then shot and killed the other two who were looking for them, ambushing them with multiple weapons, including an assault rifle.  The group had already been under investigation for making terrorist threats and selling marijuana.

5/8/12  Orlando, Florida:  Ten white supremecists in a "militia-style" paramilitary group, including the leader, Marcus Faella and his wife Patti Faella, were arrested for plotting to start a race war, including creating a disturbance at Orlando city hall, illegally concealing weapons in protest signs, and making the toxin ricin.  If they created a "race war", they wanted to "kill jews, immigrants, and other minorities."  They trained on a 10-acre property of the Faellas' with assault weapons and ghillie suits until an informant was endangered, at which point the FBI moved in and arrested them.

5/2/12  Gilbert, Arizona:  J.T. Ready, a popular Arizona militia leader who led "border patrols" with fellow militia in a group called the Ready Rangers, shot and killed four people, including a toddler, before committing suicide.  The motive is unclear, but he was armed with a shotgun and multiple handguns, as well as a bulletproof vest.  J.T. Ready was popular for his border patrols, and was an ardent neo-Nazi, as a member of the National Socialist Movement, a neo-Nazi group.  Ready also had previous domestic assault arrests.  Despite all of his previous racist and violent behavior, he nonetheless was running for sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, and had ties to local politics as a Republican precinct committee person and as a speaker at Tea Party rallies.  His militia pals vowed to continue Ready's "border patrol" activities. 

1/27/12    Reno, Nevada:  Edwin Green was turned in by a 14-year old relative for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Turns out he had an underground bunker containing sixteen firearms.  Green is believed to be a hitman for an Arizona militia, and has a prior arrest for domestic violence.

11/2/11   Toccoa, Georgia:  Four senior men, Frederick Thomas, Emory Dan Roberts, Ray H. Adams, and Samuel J. Crump, who were members of a Georgia militia group, plotted to destroy government buildings, assassinate government officials, produce and disperse ricin (a deadly toxin), and acquire illegal firearms and silencers.  The group was infiltrated by the FBI and arrested.  The accused had ties to militia groups called the Oathkeepers and the Three Percenters.

7/4/11  Wagener, South Carolina:  Kenneth Lee Myers claimed to have trained with a militia in Michigan.  He had a small armory of weapons, including military-style assault rifles and handguns, as well as night-vision goggles and a Kevlar vest.  He had a history of violent behavior.  Over the July 4 weekend, he used a shotgun to murder four people, including his wife, her twin sister, their mother, and his ex-girlfriend.  When police responded, he fired at them and a chase ensued, eventually ending in his suicide with the same gun.

6/12/11  Lolo, Montana:  David Burgert, leader member of a previous militia called Project 7, who had been imprisoned due to plotting attacks on local government and then having a standoff with arresting officers, got out of prison and once again stockpiled weapons and survivalist goods in the woods.  He then fired at law enforcement who had tried to pull him over for a driving infraction.  A chase ensued, but he escaped into the woods.  A manhunt took place, but he is still at large.

3/11/11  Fairbanks, Alaska:   Schaeffer Cox, and four other militia members, were arrested for conspiracy to murder law enforcement officers and for weapons charges.  Cox is founder of the Alaska Peacemakers Militia, member of the Second Amendment Task Force militia, and a champion of the so-called Sovereign Citizen Movement.  In March, 2010, he was arrested for failing to reveal he had a concealed weapon.  One month later he was arrested for assaulting his wife.  In March, 2011, Cox was charged with conspiracy to possess unregistered silencers and destructive devices, possession of an unregistered destructive device, possession of an unregistered silencer, possession of an unregistered machine gun, and other related charges.  Later that year, the FBI recorded conversations and revealed a plot by Cox and his fellow militia members to commit police murders in retaliation for the weapons charges, but the FBI recordings were determined to be unconstitutional and charges for the alleged plot were dropped.  He is currently still facing the weapons charges.  Despite his "sovereign citizen" and militia ties, and history of breaking the law, Cox is also tied to local Alaskan politics, having run for state representative in 2008, being a friend of Alaskan politician Joe Miller, and acquiring the signature of U.S. Representative Don Young on a declaration to abolish the U.S. government if they disagreed with government gun regulations.  HERE is an article on the recent court case, trying Cox and two others associated with the plot.  In June of 2012, Cox and fellow militia member Lonnie Vernon were found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and various weapons offenses.  Another militia member, Coleman Barney, was found guilty of weapons charges.  Vernon and his wife later also plead guilty, in August of 2012, for conspiring to kill U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline and IRS officer Janice Stowell in 2011 in retaliation for ruling the couple owed more than $165,000 in back taxes.
The Vernons admitted to buying a gun, silencer and hand grenades, and having a map to the federal judge’s home.

9/13/10  Ingham County, Michigan:  Police stop Richard Scott McLeod, 48, for a traffic violation in Webberville, Michigan, and upon searching his vehicle, discover bumper stickers quoting Adolf Hitler, a picture of President Barack Obama, a loaded handgun, a bullet-proof vest, and bomb-making materials. McLeod is arrested and charged with illegally carrying a concealed weapon and unlawful possession of body armor. McLeod tells officers that he is a member of the Michigan Militia. The group denies any relationship with McLeod.  Also found in his possession was black powder and bomb-making literature.

 

3/28/10  Michigan, Ohio, Indiana:  Nine members of the Michigan-based South Michigan Milita, also known as the Hutaree, an extremist Christian paramilitary sect who think that law enforcement are the "antichrist," were arrested for plotting to murder police, then follow up by murdering more who attended the expected funerals with explosives.  On March 28, 2012, a judge found the government's conspiracy case against the members based on their protected free speech to be baseless. Only a few weapons charges remain.  Three of the Hutaree members had their 60-plus guns returned to them after being acquitted, including shotguns, rifles, assault rifles, bulletproof vests, helmets, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

1/12/10  Duncan, Oklahoma:  Charles Allan Dyer, a member of the American Patriot militia, and also known by the pseudonym "July4Patriot," was arrested and sentenced for raping a 6-year old girl.  During the investigation, detectives found a stolen military grenade launcher in Dyer's home.  He went on the run before being captured, and had made threats against law enforcement.

5/30/09  Arivaca, Arizona:  Shawna Forde, leader of the Minuteman American Defense "border patrol" militia, and accomplices, Jason Eugene "Gunny" Bush and Albert Robert Gaxiola, raid the home of a Latino family and opened fire, killing Raul "Junior" Flores, wounding his wife, Gina Maria Gonzales, and killing their 9-year old daughter, Brisenia Flores.  Forde had previously been a leader in another militia, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, until being expelled.  Prior to the shooting, Forde had a long history of violent and illegal behavior.

5/31/09  Wichita, Kansas:  Scott P. Roeder, member of the Freemen militia, shoots and kills Dr. George Tiller because of the doctor's late-term abortion surgeries.  He had previously tried to vandalize abortion clinics and protested at clinics.  In April 1996, Roeder was arrested in Topeka after Shawnee County sheriff's deputies stopped him for not having a proper license plate and found bomb-making materials in his car.  In his car, officers said they found ammunition, a blasting cap, a fuse cord, a one-pound can of gunpowder and two 9-volt batteries, with one connected to a switch that could have been used to trigger a bomb.

7/22/04  Douglas, AZ:  The FBI raided a compound of the Ranch Rescue "border patrol" militia as part of an effort to arrest its leader, Casey James Nethercott, for refusing to pull over for federal agents looking for illegal weapons.  Nethercott's militia bodyguard, Kalen Robert Riddle, was shot and wounded during the standoff.

7/09/03  Fremont, Michigan:  Scott Allen Woodring, member of the Michigan Militia, killed a Michigan State Police officer, Kevin Marshall, during a standoff which started when they tried to arrest him for criminal sexual misconduct.  One week later, Woodring was shot dead by other Michigan State Police officers.  They had located him during the manhunt, and shot him after he turned on them with an assault rifle.

2002  Flathead County, Montana:  A militia group called Project 7, led by David Bugert, stockpiled huge amounts of ammunition, weapons, and homemade bombs and plotted to kidnap and assassinate local officials, go to war with the National Guard and somehow overthrow the government.  Local law enforcement found out and had a standoff with the militia group, eventually arresting them.  Bugert was found manning a mounted machine gun.  After Bugert got out of prison in 2011, he once again shot at law enforcement then fled into the woods and is still at large.

7/10/97  Killeen, Texas:  Bradley Glover and members of the Southern Kansas Regional Militia were arrested for planning and almost carrying out an attack on Fort Hood Army Base, possessing illegal firearms, and conducted reconnaissance missions on other military bases, including Holloman Air Force Base at Alamagordo, New Mexico.

11/9/96  Wheeling, West Virginia:  Seven men of the Mountaineer Militia were indicted for a conspiracy to bomb the FBI center in Clarksburg and two other federal targets.  Floyd ''Ray'' Looker, commander of the Mountaineer Militia, and six others were charged with conspiracy to manufacture explosives, transport explosives across state lines and place them near the FBI center. 

7/2/96  Phoenix, Arizona:  12 members of an Arizona paramilitary militia unit, the Viper Militia, were arrested, accused of plotting to destroy federal offices and the Phoenix police station.  The group plotted for two years to destroy several federal buildings there, including one that houses the office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the FBI. The group also planned to destroy buildings that contained offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Internal Revenue Service and the Arizona National Guard, along with the police headquarters.  Besides being charged with conspiracy, members of the group were charged with illegally possessing four automatic rifles and chemicals that can be used to make bombs, including ammonium nitrate.

4/19/95  Oklahoma City, Oklahoma:  Timothy McVeigh bombs the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, with assistance by Terry Nichols and Michael and Lori Fortier.  Motivated by his hatred of the federal government and angered by what he perceived as its mishandling of the Waco Siege (1993) and the Ruby Ridge incident (1992), McVeigh timed his attack to coincide with the second anniversary of the deadly fire that ended the siege at Waco.  Both McVeigh and Nichols were strong adherents of the modern militia movement, survivalists, and ardently anti-gun control.  The Murrah building had been previously targeted in October 1983 by white supremacist group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord, including founder James Ellison and Richard Snell. The group had plotted to park "a van or trailer in front of the Federal Building and blow it up with rockets detonated by a timer."^[29] After Snell's appeal for murdering two people in unrelated cases was denied, he was executed the same day as the Murrah bombing.^[30]

10/7/94  Hillsdale County, Michigan:  Paul Darland, member of the Michigan Militia, kills a bodyguard and fellow militia member William Gleason for militia leader Mark Koernke.  After a long manhunt, he was arrested at a strip club on June 15, 2000.  He was convicted of the murder on February 13, 2001.

1984  The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord member Richard Wayne Snell, was arrested for killing an African-American police officer. Snell was later tied to the killing of a Jewish gun store owner in 1981, obtaining and using the very same gun, the serial number of which had been removed by the CSA armorer, Kent Yates, who himself was arrested on Friday, July 13, 1984, on an outstanding warrant out of New Mexico for firearms violations in Farmington. He was later also charged and convicted of weapons manufacture and modification for the CSA.

 

1983 The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord member William Thomas accompanying members Richard Wayne Snell and Steven Scott attempted to dynamite a natural gas pipeline, without success.