U.S. militia girds for trouble as
presidential election nears
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[November 02, 2016]
By Justin Mitchell and Andy Sullivan
JACKSON, Ga. (Reuters) - Down a Georgia
country road, camouflaged members of the Three Percent Security Force
have mobilized for rifle practice, hand-to-hand combat training -- and
an impromptu campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald
Trump.
"How many people are voting for Trump? Ooh-rah!" asks Chris Hill, a
paralegal who goes by the code name "Bloodagent."
"Ooh-rah!" shout a dozen militia members in response, as morning
sunlight sifted through the trees last weekend.
As the most divisive presidential election in recent memory nears its
conclusion, some armed militia groups are preparing for the possibility
of a stolen election on Nov. 8 and civil unrest in the days following a
victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton.
They say they won't fire the first shot, but they're not planning to
leave their guns at home, either.
Trump's populist campaign has energized militia members like Hill, who
admire the Republican mogul's promise to deport illegal immigrants, stop
Muslims from entering the country and build a wall along the Mexico
border. Trump has repeatedly warned that the election may be "rigged,"
and has said he may not respect the results if he does not win. At least
one paramilitary group, the Oath Keepers, has called on members to
monitor voting sites for signs of fraud
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Armed paramilitary groups first gained prominence in the early 1990s,
fueled by confrontations in Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco, Texas,
culminating in a militia sympathizer's 1995 bombing of a federal office
building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people.
Their numbers dwindled following that attack but have spiked in recent
years, driven by fears that President Barack Obama will threaten gun
ownership and erode the power of local government. The Southern Poverty
Law Center, which tracks extremist groups, estimates there were 276
active militias last year, up from 42 in 2008.
In recent years, armed groups have confronted federal authorities in a
series of land-use disputes in the western United States. Federal
officials fear more clashes could come after seven militants were
acquitted on conspiracy charges for occupying a federal wildlife refuge
in Oregon.
Many fear Clinton would push the county further to the left.
"This is the last chance to save America from ruin," Hill said. "I'm
surprised I was able to survive or suffer through eight years of Obama
without literally going insane, but Hillary is going to be more of the
same."
EXTREMIST GROUPS EMBOLDENED
The Oath Keepers, a prominent anti-government force that sent gun-toting
members to the 2014 race riots in Ferguson, Missouri, called on members
last week to monitor voting sites on election day for any signs of
fraud.
An hour south of Atlanta, the Three Percent Security Force started the
day around the campfire, taking turns shooting automatic pistols and
rifles at a makeshift target range. They whooped with approval when
blasts from one member's high-powered rifle knocked down a tree.
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![](../images/110216PICS/news_b5.jpg)
A member of the III% Security Force militia conducts shooting
practice during a field training exercise in Jackson, Georgia, U.S.
October 29, 2016. REUTERS/Justin Mitchell
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Nov/02/images/ads/current/mb_heating_quarter_FHI_2016.png)
The group operates independently, but is affiliated with a national
armed movement that calls for members to defend individual rights in the
face of what they see as an overreaching federal government. The
movement draws its name from the notion that no more than 3 percent of
the American population fought in the Revolutionary War against Britain.
Amid the war games, Hill weighed plans for a possible armed march on
Washington if Clinton wins.
He said he doesn't want his members leading the way, but they will
defend the protesters if need be. His group will not hesitate to act if
a President Clinton tries to disarm gun owners, he said.
"I will be there to render assistance to my fellow countrymen, and
prevent them from being disarmed, and I will fight and I will kill and I
may die in the process," said Hill, who founded the militia several
years ago.
Trump's candidacy has emboldened extremist groups to speak more openly
about challenging the rule of law, said Ryan Lenz, a researcher at the
Southern Poverty Law Center.
"Prior to this campaign season, these ideas were relegated to sort of
the political fringe of the American political landscape," he said. "Now
these ideas are legitimized."
Over the past week, some prominent Trump supporters have hinted at
violence.
"If Trump loses, I'm grabbing my musket," former Illinois Representative
Joe Walsh wrote on Twitter last week. Conservative commentator Wayne
Root fantasized about Clinton's death while speaking at a Trump rally in
Las Vegas on Sunday.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Nov/02/images/ads/current/christian_village_sda_031616.png)
Back in Georgia, the Three Percent Security Force wrapped up rifle
practice in the midday sun. They then headed further into the trees to
tackle an obstacle course with loaded pistols at their sides, ready for
whatever may come.
"We've building up for this, just like the Marines," he said. "We are
going to really train harder and try to increase our operational
capabilities in the event that this is the day that we hoped would never
come."
(Editing by Stuart Grudgings)
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