Bundy Militants ‘Locked and Loaded’ After Obama Monument Push
Anti-government militants erupted with fury and calls for an armed uprising after President Obama designated a new national monument in Nevada that includes the site of the infamous Bundy Ranch standoff between right-wing agitators and federal agents.
Members of the self-styled militias that swarmed to the aid of Cliven Bundy outside of Las Vegas in 2014 — and who later joined the rancher’s sons to seize a federal wildlife refuge in rural Oregon — said they were readying for another showdown. Obama’s move on Wednesday to protect 300,000 acres of federal land around Gold Butte, close to the Bundy ranch, comes as two dozen people await trials for their roles in the Nevada and Oregon standoffs, which emboldened right-wing militants across America and became a powerful symbol of anti-government sentiment.
“Get your gear ready,” wrote Jon Ritzheimer, one of the men who used handguns and assault rifles to hole up in Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for 41 days last year. “Obama just designated the Bundy Ranch a national monument.”
Others with ties to patriot groups and militia movements online responded with a bit more force. “Locked and loaded ready to go,” wrote Chris Border, a member of the Cliven Bundy’s Army! Facebook group, which boasts more than 2,000 members. “Tired of this crap and time to do something.”
Whether the tough talk turns into another armed confrontation remains to be seen. “So far it’s just been a lot of posturing,” JJ MacNab, an expert on anti-government extremism in the U.S. and author of the upcoming book “The Seditionists,” told Vocativ. “But members of these groups are looking for something to happen. They don’t really care what it is.” (Read more from “Bundy Militants ‘Locked and Loaded’ After Obama Monument Push” HERE)
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