Fantasies of Violence in the Patriot/Militia Movement in the United States

Abstract

This chapter is about a particular form of right-wing extremism (RWE) in the U.S. that I refer to as the patriot/militia movement (P/M movement). This segment of RWE is more commonly referred to as the "Patriot movement" or the "militia movement." As I have stated elsewhere, I intentionally use the more clunky "patriot/militia" for two primary reasons.First, "patriot" carries a strong positive connotation in the United States: to call someone a patriot is to compliment them. I do not wish to imply-however slightly or incidentally-that those who are part of this movement are admirable patriots.Second, not all of the individuals and groups in this movement are militias in the sense of being hierarchical paramilitary organizations that deliberately imitate militaries, though some certainly are. 1This movement is defined by two closely related beliefs: the federal government (and possibly some state and local governments) are currently tyrannical or are quickly becoming tyrannical; and American patriots need to be ready to engage in conflict with that government to protect or restore traditional American rights. That conflict could begin anytime, and it could include a range of different types of action including an insurgency-style war.The patriot/militia movement is one of two subcategories of antigovernment extremism in the U.S., alongside sovereign citizens. 2 There is substantial overlap between these two categories: many participants in the patriot/militia movement entertain sovereign citizen ideas, particularly regarding esoteric ways of interacting with the political and legal systems to exempt themselves from governmental authority. 3 Unlike many individuals who are more squarely within the subcategory of sovereign citizens, though, those in the P/M movement focus less on those arcane legal theories and more on understanding and responding to a broad threat of tyranny.The archetypical type of organization within the P/M movement is the militia: an organization that adopts paramilitary authority structures, appearances, and activity. For example, the early militias 1 Sam Jackson, Oath Keepers: Patriotism and the Edge of Violence in a Right-Wing Antigovernment Group (New York: Columbia University Press, 2020), 17, https://cup.columbia.edu/book/oath-keepers/9780231550314. 2 Sam Jackson, "A Schema of Right-Wing Extremism in the United States," Policy Briefs (International Centre for Counter-Terrorism -The Hague, November 4, 2019), https://icct.nl/publication/a-schema-of-right-wing-extremism-inthe-united-states/.

Sheriffs, right‐wing extremism, and the limits of U.S. federalism during a crisis

“…While sheriffs have long engaged in white supremacist and nativist actions (Du Bois 1904; McKanna 1997), the organization and mobilization of sheriffs toward RWE causes have accelerated in recent years. Sheriffs’ resistance to mask mandates relates to successful efforts to recruit some of these elected law enforcement officers into RWE (Jackson 2019). RWE's foundations lie in anti‐federalism, white supremacist, and nativist views, all of which undergird sheriffs’ opposition to mask mandates.…”

“…We conceptualize RWE among sheriffs as relating to broader right‐wing movements whose goal is “to revert fundamental features of the political system to some imagined (though not necessarily imaginary) past state” (Jackson 2019, p. 4) and includes white supremacy and nativism (Cluverius, Banda, and Daly 2020; Jackson 2020). But for sheriffs, RWE takes a form particular that includes seeing their own office as more legitimate and powerful than state or federal governments (what we term “anti‐federalism”).…”

“…We first document the process by which RWE organizations such as militias, anti‐government extremists, and white supremacists centered sheriffs as legitimate political actors (Jackson 2019, 2020; Nemerever 2021). Following Obama's election, the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA) organized to recruit and train sheriffs into RWE views, encouraging sheriffs to refuse enforcement of any federal or state law that sheriffs themselves deem unconstitutional.…”

“…CSPOA's efforts at radicalization bore fruit: When Obama pushed for national gun control after the Sandy Hook shooting, the CSPOA recruited more than 450 sheriffs and 19 state sheriff associations to sign statements opposing these efforts. These statements often reference RWE ideology, including a violent fidelity to the past, nativism, and anti‐government attitudes (Jackson 2019; Nemeth and Hansen 2022). For example, the CSPOA statement (see Appendix A) notes “our country is in great turmoil and a new movement is underway to destroy the principles.” The Georgia Sheriffs’ Association wrote that they would “aggressively oppose federal or state legislation which infringes upon law abiding citizens’ right to bear arms,” while Sheriff Dorning (Madison County, Alabama) and other sheriffs (see Appendix B) indicated a willingness to use violence: “I took a constitutional oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America, to defend the Constitution of the State of Alabama, even if it takes my life.”…”

“…CSPOA's efforts at radicalization bore fruit: When Obama pushed for national gun control after the Sandy Hook shooting, the CSPOA recruited more than 450 sheriffs and 19 state sheriff associations to sign statements opposing these efforts. These statements often reference RWE ideology, including a violent fidelity to the past, nativism, and anti-government attitudes (Jackson 2019;Nemeth and Hansen 2022). For example, the CSPOA statement (see Appendix A) notes "our country is in great turmoil and a new movement is underway to destroy the principles."…”