What do you need to start a Militia ?

S

Scott Evans

Staff Alumnus
Some of the recent post have my wheels a turning.

Can someone explain what is necessary to start and maintain a militia legally ?
 
Whoever can answer that, might be able to tell me if such an organization would NEED to be called a "militai".. what with the stigma of the term, I'd rather be aprt of (or organize) a "citizens defense group" or some such more politically correct sounding group.

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-Essayons
 
Rob,
I hear ya …. So let’s say I would like to form a “Volunteer, community service, emergency action collation”. That is in place to assist our community “in times of need”.

How do I do it under the law with out losing the ability to also legally define it as a militia … if need be?
 
You don't have to "start" a militia - you already belong to one. Every able bodied man capable of bearing arms is part of the militia.

I, for one, am just about sick and tired of political correctness! I'm just about ready to call an assault-rifle exactly that and to hell with anybody it offends.

Damn it - we've tried to play nice and look where it's gotten us. NO MORE COMPROMISE!!!!!

Mikey (ready to get midevil if I have to!)
 
Mikey,
I understand what you are saying …

But under whose authority?

Who dose what and when?

What about training?

What about logistics?

On and on it goes ….

Preparation, organization and discipline are necessary for any group to effectively accomplish anything. Otherwise you have a mob. Volunteer fireman don’t just show up to a fire. They train in expected tactics, have a chain of authority and a mission.
 
Constitutional Theory aside, I think what Scott and I are talking about are these "militias" that got so much press during the mid 90's. Such as the infamous "Michigan Militia"..

Are they nothing more than glorified groups of gun nuts.. or do they have some special standing as an entity in the eyes of the gov't.. local, state or federal???

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-Essayons
 
Sorry guys and gals,

Didn't mean to rant. Just got back from a pistol match and I was still in alert mode. Our President (his ass-holiness) was a major topic of discussion, as was the impotent NRA, and I was still pissed.

I'm over it now and ready to join whatever militia you get formed.

Mikey
 
Scott: The term "Militia" means--by law--all able-bodied men of any community. At the time of common usage, and later, Congressional action, "able-bodied" generally meant males between around 14 years, on up to about 45. I would assume (!) that now, this would include homo sapiens of the feminine persuasion.

So, if you're upright and breathing and healthy, you're already part of the Militia.

No governmental blessing, apparently, is needed to create a "Well-regulated Militia". Well-regulated merely means trained; it does not mean subject to rules and regulations. The language-usage has changed in the last 100 years as regards such words as "regulate".

My advice? First, find those who are in accord with you. Then, organize into a group. After you get acquainted and become mutually and generally in accord on issues, get into LOCAL politics.

Run for such positions as County Clerk, County Commissioner, Constable, Tax Assessor/Collector, and Sheriff. If you're in a small town, go for City Council or Mayor. Also, try to be on the Planning Commission or equivalent, and any Advisory Group you can find.

If you and 20 to 40 associates can each influence 20 to 40 voters, you wind up being the local power structure.

You then influence what sorts of industries do or don't come to your area. You then have some control over what efforts are made to help the homeless. (If you want more of something, subsidize it.) You can determine the effectiveness of any welfare agency, and whether or not checks get mailed on time. If checks regularly are are late, folks dependent on them tend to move away...You can determine what sorts of investigations get pursued by local LEOs, and what civil suits get expeditious treatment and what civil suits languish for years...

An organized militia can be a lot more than a bunch of guys in camo.

FWIW, Art
 
I suppose if a group wanted to avoid the bad press the militia presents, they could always band together and form a "Military History and Tactics Study Club." Limit their live fire training to very, very small groups and do all the other stuff like small unit tactics, land navigation, etc. without their weapons.


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Bruce Stanton
 
I think the first thing required is a snappy name and a cool patch that you can sew onto your cammies. Actually, I think you need to avoid those things like the plague. No members mean that a member can't get the rest into trouble. The press might have more trouble demonizing a non-member (that guy? he's no member…member of what?) group than a "Viper militia," group.

I think a prudent action would be to loosely organize a group of people, probably friends, into squad or fireteam sized units. Do some familiarization shoots with each other's weapons and urge each person to keep a reasonable amount of ammo for one or all of their firearms. Give out some basic military information, such as: ground = good, open areas = bad. Give them a specific location to meet if/when the sh*t hits the fan.
 
Scott,
The information already posted will go a long way toward the forming of any new group, milita or otherwise.
One of the most important things to have before too many people formally "find out" about the new milita group is to have a good "MISSION STATMENT". Don't take the word mission out of context. This doesn't mean that you give away your tactics. It means that the members have thought about the short- and long-term goals of the milita and put them in a condensed, written form that is easy to understand. It helps to keep the members focused on the important issues that are faced.
Art's post really hits the "target" about getting organized and into local politics. Don't flex muscles too quickly, unless there are people within the group that have very good possitive influence in the community.
Also, Destructo has a good point about about setting meeting places for extreme situations.
May GOD help us all if it gets that far!
 
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