Antigovernment 鈥楶atriots鈥� Show Up At Military Recruiting Centers Nationwide to 鈥楶rotect the Protecters鈥�
Responding to a nationwide call to arms issued by the leadership of the Oath Keepers,聽scores of antigovernment 鈥淧atriots鈥� have begun聽showing up fully armed and prepared to guard military聽recruiting offices聽across聽the United States 鈥� and some continue to do so.
Mind you, they are doing so in defiance of the Marine Corps鈥� expressed request to stay away, and that they represented a security threat. Already, one of the wannabe guards got himself in trouble by accidentally firing a round into the public parking lot.聽The guards聽claimed they were inspired to participate in the latest Oath Keepers activity, following聽 on a recruiting聽office in Chattanooga, TN, that left four Marines dead. The extremists who responded to the 鈥渘ational call to action鈥� cited the attack 鈥� and reports explaining that these offices are not permitted by military regulation to arm themselves 鈥� as part of聽their reasoning for standing outside strip malls and other small office buildings.
Participants included not just but other Patriot聽movement followers, including so-called who showed up in Idaho, Oregon聽and Ohio. According to the Associated Press, there were watches in Spanaway, Wash., Hiram, Ga.,聽Madison, Wis.,聽McAllen, Texas; Auburn Hills, Mich.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and several locations in Tennessee.聽
Local media coverage found additional recruiting center聽watches in and in ; in ; in ; in ; in ; and in
It was that one of the participants accidentally fired off a round from a聽semi-automatic AR-15 rifle he was toting as 鈥減rotection鈥� for the military recruiters. Police said no one was hurt, but they cited Christopher Reed, 28,聽for discharging his weapon within city limits.
According to the , Reed was trying to clear his weapon of the round he had chambered before having someone look at the gun聽when it discharged聽into the pavement nearby.
Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes any responsibility, claiming that Reed wasn鈥檛 a member: 鈥淭hankfully, not one of ours,鈥� he said in an article posted to the group's website.聽鈥淕ood intentions on the part of volunteers are not enough, because we all know where the road paved with them leads,鈥� the article mused.
Military officials made clear they wished to have nothing to do with these 鈥渙perations.鈥� A by the U.S. Marine Corps recruiting station in San Diego said:
It has come to our attention that many patriotic citizens have been standing armed guard outside recruiting stations across the country. While we greatly appreciate the support of the American public during this tragedy, we ask that citizens do not stand guard at our recruiting offices. Our continued public trust lies among our trained first responders for the safety of the communities where we live and work. 聽
According to , the Army advised its recruiters to treat these pop-up聽guardsmen as a security threat:聽鈥淪oldiers should avoid anyone standing outside the recruiting centers attempting to offer protection and report them to local law enforcement and the command if they feel threatened, according to a U.S. Army Recruiting Command policy letter issued Monday.鈥�
