Opinion
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Has Antifa started to arm themselves with guns en-masse to push back against what they see as a rise in “right-wing” militia groups? Some magazines articles have been pushing that narrative, but we need to separate fact from fiction. It turns out some progressive news outlets might have their wishful facts all wrong.
Certain Antifa affiliated groups listed in the articles have been arming themselves for years such as the John Brown Gun Club/Red Neck Revolt (JBGC). Although this group does not identify as an Antifa organization, they do share similar goals. For example, the majority of their members are socialist or communist.
The Anarchist activist, Dave Strano, founded the John Brown Gun Club in Lawrence, Kansas in 2004. The group takes its name from a 19th-century American abolitionist. John Brown advocated the use of armed rebellion to end slavery. He led a raid on the federal armory at what is now Harpers Ferry, WV.
He counted on local slaves rising up and joining his rebellion. Only a few local slaves joined the uprising, and the raid failed with seven people being killed in the fighting. Local farmers, militiamen, and US Marines led by Robert E. Lee Captured Brown. The Commonwealth of Virginia tried him for treason. The court found Brown guilty, and he was hanged.
The John Brown Gun Club’s first armed protest was against the Minute Man Project in 2005. The Minute Man Project goal was to secure the U.S. border with Mexico. In 2009 Red Neck Revolt formed as an offshoot of the John Brown Gun Club to counter the rise of the Tea Party movement.
After being dormant for several years the groups reorganized in the of 2016 in response to the campaign of then-candidate Donald Trump for President. They have held several protests while open carrying AR-15s and AKM rifles.
One thing that separates these groups from Antifa is even though these groups are heavily armed; they do not resort to violence. The JBGC has also had a sit down with a Three Percent group where they asserted even though their ideas are aligned with Antifa that they would only use force in self-defense.
The Huey Percy Newton Gun Club (HPNGC) is another Antifa allied armed group. The group takes its name from Huey P. Newton. Newton was a co-founder of the Black Panthers in the 1960s. The group was founded in Dallas, Texas in 2013.
The HPNGC insist they are not and never have been a part of The Black Panther Party. The group shares a lot of Antifa’s political beliefs and have been a part of Antifa protest, but they have not resorted to violence. The communist group wants to spread awareness of the First and Second Amendment throughout the inner city. Their support for the First Amendment is directly at odds with the beliefs of Antifa.
The Socialist Rifle Association (S.R.A.) is another group listed in a lot of the articles. S.R.A. is an anti-capitalist group but also is not an Antifa group. The S.R.A. goal is to spread the power of the Second Amendment to those on the left that might otherwise be scared off by right-wing groups.
A lot of articles list the Liberal Gun Club as an Antifa group. The group is not an Antifa group at all. The group is a non-profit that teaches left of center Americans about gun rights and safe gun handling. The group does not attend protests and does not share most of Antifa’s ideology.
What is most curious about these articles is the inclusion of Pink Pistols. Pink Pistols is an LGBTQ+ gun-rights group. They are not partisan. Some members of Pink Pistols are strict conservatives. The group has worked with the N.R.A., appeared on AmmoLand News, and worked alongside other right-leaning groups. It is almost like some of the writers Googled “LGBT Gun Groups” and used the first result that popped up.
So, is Antifa arming themselves?
In a December F.B.I. Document an informant told the F.B.I. that Antifa was trying to buy guns from Mexican Cartels. Specific news sites printed the story as proven fact, but looking into the account, it gets a little murkier.
The F.B.I. based its report on a single informant’s information. The F.B.I. opened an investigation and found very little corroborating evidence. No arrest was made, and no warning was sent out to local law enforcement or FFL dealers as ATF will do. It seems like the information was bad.
Guns usually flow from the U.S. to Mexico. It would make little sense for Antifa to try to smuggle arms into the country when it would be easier, safer, and legal to acquire them stateside. Most people in law enforcement would agree with my assessment.
There is no doubt that some Antifa members are acquiring firearms, but AmmoLand News cannot find a substantial concerted effort to obtain them to use in their violent protests such as the protest in Portland that seems to be mentioned in all the articles.
There have been several OP-EDs from people in the media calling for Antifa to arm themselves with firearms, but as of now, that hasn’t happened. If it does happen, AmmoLand will report it. While we are no fans of the misguided Antifa movement, the truth is more important than clicks.
The threat of an armed Antifa is terrifying. The group has shown it is willing to use violence to accomplish their goals, and that is why these articles push the narrative of Antifa acquiring firearms. The coming “second civil war” sells. They get clicks and shares, and in the end that adds up to dollars for fake news outlets.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot-News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement, including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.