# Ask the Militia Guy! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 19, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916 "2002-12-19T22:43:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/1 "2002-12-19T22:43:21Z")
There seems to be an abundance of “Ask the XXX” threads lately, so I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring. Yes, militia. You know, the plaid-shirted, gun-toting good ‘ol boys[sup]1[/sup] training for the day the balloon flies. Go ahead, I’ll answer anything… [sup]1[/sup][sub]Well not really, but that’s a popular conception of us.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/2 "2002-12-19T22:50:13Z")
Why do you feel it’s necessary for you to be in a militia? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/3 "2002-12-19T22:56:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Surreal \* > \*\*Why do you feel it’s necessary for you to be in a militia? \*\* I live in Ohio, and by definition I’m _already_ in it. But it really has to do with a sense of duty; if the preverbal SHTF, the citizens will need _someone_ to defend the them at the local level. And if I’m going to defend anyone (including and most importantly, my family), then it’s incumbent on me to train. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/4 "2002-12-19T23:09:13Z")
What type of event do you believe is most likely to result in the proverbial ‘SHTF’? Do you think it might be possible that you would be fighting against U.S. government forces?? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/5 "2002-12-19T23:26:56Z")
Crafter\_Man, as you might guess from my post in GQ, I am familiar with the negative stereotype of militias. The Anti-Defamation league says this about [The Militia Movement](http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/Militia_M.asp?xpicked=4&item=19): > [@](#): > > The militia movement is a relatively new right-wing extremist movement consisting of armed paramilitary groups, both formal and informal, with an anti-government, conspiracy-oriented ideology. Is this description of your militia accurate? Is the description accurate for any militia organization with which you are familiar? To which militia do you belong? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/6 "2002-12-19T23:54:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Surreal > Member > > Registered: Mar 2002 > Location: Gobbler’s Knob, PA, USA > Posts: 493 Just from your profile, you might be too. All males age 18 - 49??? are by federal code part of the unorganized militia. IIRC women are added to the ranks because of some of the equal opportunity laws. I am proud to be a member of the US unorganized militia. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/7 "2002-12-20T02:20:55Z")
How many of the members of your militia hold ‘unorthodox’ views? What’s your militia’s name? How many members are in it? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/8 "2002-12-20T02:25:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Surreal \* > **What type of event do you believe is most likely to result in the proverbial ‘SHTF’?** It’s anybody’s guess. But in my opinion the most like contenders would be: a) Foreign troops on our soil acting as a “police force” b) U.N. troops on our soil acting as a “police force” c) Firearms ban d) Random checkpoints (“I vont to see your papers, please…”) > [@](#): > > **Do you think it might be possible that you would be fighting against U.S. government forces??** Possible? Yes. But I pray it will never come to that. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/9 "2002-12-20T02:27:11Z")
How do you deal with people who buy into the stereotype that militia members are all a bunch of right-wing nutjobs waiting for the least little reason to gun down every politician in Washington? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/10 "2002-12-20T02:41:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \* > **The Anti-Defamation league says “The militia movement is a relatively new right-wing extremist movement consisting of armed paramilitary groups, both formal and informal, with an anti-government, conspiracy-oriented ideology.” Is this description of _your_ militia accurate?** No. > [@](#): > > **Is the description accurate for any militia organization with which you are familiar?** The description **is** accurate for many militias that existed in the mid-1990’s, but militias today rarely fit the description. I’m not aware of any _militias_ defined as (stereotypically) “right wing/extreme,” but I have met _ **individuals** _ in the militia who are anti-government, conspiracy oriented, etc. > [@](#): > > \*\*To which militia do you belong? \*\* I belong to a small, county-based unit. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/11 "2002-12-20T02:50:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Daoloth \* > **How many of the members of your militia hold ‘unorthodox’ views?** Not sure what you mean by “unorthodox” views, but there are some who believe every conspiracy theory that comes down the pike. Is that what you mean? > [@](#): > > \*\* What’s your militia’s name?\*\* Unorganized Militia of Champaign County. > [@](#): > > \*\*How many members are in it? \*\* I’ll just say “a handful.” (I know I said I’d answer “anything,” but I would rather not divulge the precise number of members.) ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/12 "2002-12-20T03:02:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Crafter\_Man \* > \*\*Not sure what you mean by “unorthodox” views, but there are some who believe every conspiracy theory that comes down the pike. Is that what you mean? > \*\* Bascially, yes. About how much of your militia is constituted of ex-military? What do you guys do at meetings? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/13 "2002-12-20T03:14:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*How do you deal with people who buy into the stereotype that militia members are all a bunch of right-wing nutjobs waiting for the least little reason to gun down every politician in Washington? \*\* I can’t really blame people for stereotyping militia members. Their only source of information has been the media and leftists groups (e.g. the ADL), both of which want to portray us as gun-toting nut cases. So the only way to “deal” with these people is to simply _demonstrate_ that we’re _not_ a bunch of nut jobs. This is accomplished a variety of ways, e.g. performing community service and simply talking with people. We’re also conscious of our conduct in public, and emphasize courteousness and respect toward all people. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/14 "2002-12-20T03:24:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Daoloth \* > **About how much of your militia is constituted of ex-military?** I would estimate over 20% are ex-military. > [@](#): > > **What do you guys do at meetings?** We really don’t have “meetings” per say, wherein a bunch of guys sit around and “shoot-the-bull.” Our meetings are more accurately defined as _training sessions._ Training sessions normally consist of approximately 50% _classroom_ training and 50% _field_ training. The field training allows participants to demonstrate “in the field” what the learned during the classroom session. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/15 "2002-12-20T04:51:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Crafter\_Man \* > It’s anybody’s guess. But in my opinion the most like contenders would be: > > a) Foreign troops on our soil acting as a “police force” > b) U.N. troops on our soil acting as a “police force” > c) Firearms ban > d) Random checkpoints (“I vont to see your papers, please…”) > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Crafter\_Man \* > So the only way to “deal” with these people is to simply demonstrate that we’re not a bunch of nut jobs. Community service is nice but do you think that arming and training to fight some nebulous “they” might be considered a little odd? How will you decide when the time has come to actually start shooting at people? ---
**Author:** ![Kalashnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/16 "2002-12-20T05:58:31Z")
5.56, 7.62x39, or .308? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Pythagras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/45deac/32.png) [@Pythagras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagras)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/17 "2002-12-20T06:38:32Z")
Why do you feel the UN is so powerful when it relies so much on the permission of other, many times squabling, nations? Wouldnt it be smart to avoid diplomatic isolation and join the squable? ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/18 "2002-12-20T11:21:08Z")
just how paranoid are you? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/19 "2002-12-20T13:44:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by msmith537 \* > **Community service is nice but do you think that arming and training to fight some nebulous “they” might be considered a little odd?** Not at all. Freedom is not free. > [@](#): > > **How will you decide when the time has come to actually start shooting at people?** Simple – when “they” start shooting. The militia is strictly defensive, and thus we never initiate conflict. We _respond_ to threats. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916/20 "2002-12-20T13:46:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalashnikov \* > \*\*5.56, 7.62x39, or .308? > 😉 \*\* 7.62 x 51 (.308) is what I train with. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-militia-guy/143916.md?page=2)