Militia of Montana
Encyclopedia
The Militia of Montana is an organized paramilitary
organization founded by John Trochmann, a retired maker of snowmobile parts, of Noxon, Montana
, USA. The organization formed from the remnants of the United Citizens for Justice in late 1992 in response to the standoff between agents of the Federal Government
during the siege in Ruby Ridge
, Idaho
. The Militia of Montana reached their member high point in 1999 and largely disbanded after the Y2K problems turned out to be minor.
during the several months preceding the Federal standoff in Ruby Ridge
, Idaho
. The Waco Siege
solidified MOM's standing as one of the first established militia groups. John Trochmann stated that people needed to arm and organize themselves in order to prevent future incidents from occurring.
MOM grew in membership and notoriety which culminated in a gathering in Kalispell, Montana, of over 800 people to listen to an address by John Trochmann in June, 1994. In a 1995 interview, John Trochmann stated, "Gun control
is people control," and MOM claimed to have more than 12,000 members trained in guerilla warfare, survivalist techniques, and other unconventional tactics in preparation for withstanding the perceived federal government onslaught to seize their weapons presaged by the Waco Siege
.
In March 1995, MOM's newsletter, Taking Aim, reprinted a lengthy letter from Richard Wayne Snell, a convicted murderer of an Arkansas State Trooper and a pawn shop owner, asserting that his coming execution related to a series of Arkansas scandals allegedly connected with President Bill Clinton
, in which twenty-five victims were said to have met strange deaths. Snell was to die, according to MOM, because he "was and still is heavily involved in exposing Clinton for his trail of blood to the White House."
MOM organized against the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
and the Federal Assault Weapons Ban
which increased membership who believed that "threats" to the Second Amendment were orchestrated by financial and corporate elites in a global conspiracy. After Oklahoma City bombing
, Robert Fletcher declared to the press, "Expect more bombs!" As fears that the Y2K computer meltdown would provoke social collapse, MOM capitalized on these anxieties through its catalog and John Trochmann's frequent appearances at preparedness expos. After 2000, membership dwindled, however MOM continued to fuel conspiracy theories surrounding the September 11 attacks in 2001 and the 2007 Financial crisis.
The Volume 6, Issue No. 10 April 2000 of Taking Aim made references against peace officers:
John Trochmann on the passage of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
:
Robert Fletcher on anti-Semitic rhetoric:
. MOM continues to publish Taking Aim and still publishes their product catalog which includes firearms manuals, videos, and other books to "help you prepare for an uncertain future. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center
, MOM remains an active militia group.
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
organization founded by John Trochmann, a retired maker of snowmobile parts, of Noxon, Montana
Noxon, Montana
Noxon is a census-designated place in Sanders County, Montana, United States. The population was 230 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Noxon is located at ....
, USA. The organization formed from the remnants of the United Citizens for Justice in late 1992 in response to the standoff between agents of the Federal Government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
during the siege in Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge was the site of a violent confrontation and siege in northern Idaho in 1992. It involved Randy Weaver, his family, Weaver's friend Kevin Harris, and agents of the United States Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. The Militia of Montana reached their member high point in 1999 and largely disbanded after the Y2K problems turned out to be minor.
History
Officially formed by John Trochmann and his brother David in January 1994, MOM received significant assistance from self-styled analyst, Robert Fletcher. Trochmann's wife, Carolyn, had delivered food to the Weaver familyRandy Weaver
Randall Claude "Randy" Weaver is a former Green Beret who was at the center of a deadly confrontation with U.S. federal agents at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992.-Early life:...
during the several months preceding the Federal standoff in Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge was the site of a violent confrontation and siege in northern Idaho in 1992. It involved Randy Weaver, his family, Weaver's friend Kevin Harris, and agents of the United States Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. The Waco Siege
Waco Siege
The Waco siege began on February 28, 1993, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19. The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel, a property located east-northeast of Waco,...
solidified MOM's standing as one of the first established militia groups. John Trochmann stated that people needed to arm and organize themselves in order to prevent future incidents from occurring.
MOM grew in membership and notoriety which culminated in a gathering in Kalispell, Montana, of over 800 people to listen to an address by John Trochmann in June, 1994. In a 1995 interview, John Trochmann stated, "Gun control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
is people control," and MOM claimed to have more than 12,000 members trained in guerilla warfare, survivalist techniques, and other unconventional tactics in preparation for withstanding the perceived federal government onslaught to seize their weapons presaged by the Waco Siege
Waco Siege
The Waco siege began on February 28, 1993, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19. The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel, a property located east-northeast of Waco,...
.
In March 1995, MOM's newsletter, Taking Aim, reprinted a lengthy letter from Richard Wayne Snell, a convicted murderer of an Arkansas State Trooper and a pawn shop owner, asserting that his coming execution related to a series of Arkansas scandals allegedly connected with President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, in which twenty-five victims were said to have met strange deaths. Snell was to die, according to MOM, because he "was and still is heavily involved in exposing Clinton for his trail of blood to the White House."
MOM organized against the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act is an Act of the United States Congress that, for the first time, instituted federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United States....
and the Federal Assault Weapons Ban
Federal assault weapons ban
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban was a subtitle of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a federal law in the United States that included a prohibition on the manufacture for civilian use of certain semi-automatic firearms, so called "assault weapons"...
which increased membership who believed that "threats" to the Second Amendment were orchestrated by financial and corporate elites in a global conspiracy. After Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
, Robert Fletcher declared to the press, "Expect more bombs!" As fears that the Y2K computer meltdown would provoke social collapse, MOM capitalized on these anxieties through its catalog and John Trochmann's frequent appearances at preparedness expos. After 2000, membership dwindled, however MOM continued to fuel conspiracy theories surrounding the September 11 attacks in 2001 and the 2007 Financial crisis.
Ideology
MOM proposes several points:- The New World OrderNew World OrderNew World Order, New world order or The New World Order may refer to:*New world order , any period of history evidencing a dramatic change in world political thought and the balance of power...
conspiracy theory combined with the belief that the North American Free Trade AgreementNorth American Free Trade AgreementThe North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
(NAFTA) was designed to impoverish and enslave Americans. - The Second Amendment to the United States ConstitutionSecond Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second...
is designed to provide for armed insurrection against the established government. - The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States ConstitutionFourteenth Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
and affirmative action is racist, and therefore should be repealed. - Allodial titleAllodial titleAllodial title constitutes ownership of real property that is independent of any superior landlord, but it should not be confused with anarchy as the owner of allodial land is not independent of his sovereign...
applies to individuals who own land outright can be considered sovereign in accordance to groups such as the Montana Freeman in Jordan, Montana.
The Volume 6, Issue No. 10 April 2000 of Taking Aim made references against peace officers:
"Why do you suppose your leaders lead you to oppose the very rights you swore to protect? Why do they want a disarmed public? You know the reason. It has nothing to do with controlling crime. It has everything to do with using you to disarm, fine and control your fellow American Citizens. Don't fall for it. Don't force me to kill you."
John Trochmann on the passage of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law is the principal health care reform legislation of the 111th United States Congress...
:
"Health care was one more straw in the camel's back. Perhaps it's the one that breaks it."
Robert Fletcher on anti-Semitic rhetoric:
"If the bulk of the banking elite are Jewish, is that anti-Semitic? The people who are doing this are the international banking elite, and if they are all Jews, so be it, but that's not the case. I don't care if they're Arabs or monkeys."
Decline and current status
The excitement of military exercises and drilling declined as few were willing to support taking up arms against the government since the height of MOM's membership in 1999. In March, 2000, Randy Trochmann, David Trochmann's son and an instrumental leader, left the group for financial reasons. The free e-mail bulletin mass circulated by MOM began charging its subscribers, which decreased readership. John Trochmann mainly speaks at regional gun shows, seldom traveling outside the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. MOM continues to publish Taking Aim and still publishes their product catalog which includes firearms manuals, videos, and other books to "help you prepare for an uncertain future. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
, MOM remains an active militia group.