Behind the Scenes in Oregon, Ammon Bundy Preaches Revolution

Ammon Bundy came here to preach. But Bundy is not spreading the word of God, though he’s a devout Mormon. Instead, Bundy is telling local residents that the federal government is illegitimate, that the county government is the highest authority in the land, and that they should arrest their local sheriff and subject him to a citizen grand jury if he sides with the treacherous feds. This is the gospel of the sovereign citizen movement—and Bundy is winning converts. Security is tight at the compound. Men with anti-government patches, holding assault rifles patrol the buildings in full tactical gear. There’s a truck parked crosswise across the road at the entrance. Two guards in ski masks survey the area from a tower. Some of the guards are provided by a militia group called the Three Percenters.