Timothy McVeigh has been associated with the militia movement because of his anti-government sentiments, although he was never a formal militia member.

The militia movement peaked in strength in late 1996 and the number of members and overall strength of the movement has declined since then.The Oklahoma City bombing and its aftereffects did cause some people to drop out, especially the most "moderate" members.

A number of hardcore members became disenchanted in 1996-97 when militia groups generally failed to come to the "rescue" of the Montana Freemen and the Republic of Texas in their highly visible standoffs with law enforcement. But probably the biggest factor was a series of high-profile arrests of militia members on weapons, explosives, and conspiracy charges in 1996 - the Arizona Viper Militia, the Washington State Militia, the Georgia Republic Militia and the West Virginia Mountaineer Militia, especially. At present the Midwest shows very strong militia activity: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.

Militias: McVeigh is a "Government Pawn"

The militias, tax resisters and sovereign citizens don’t regard Timothy McVeigh as a poster boy for their cause. In fact they don’t talk about him very much at all, but, insofar as they do speak of him, they describe him as a brainwashed government pawn. It is their belief that because he is "controlled by the government," this explains the reason he has abandoned the appeal process, i.e., the government is afraid that the brainwashing and conditioning won’t last. And if the brainwashing effects are going to fade; well then, he must be executed immediately. So McVeigh’s heinous act is neatly wrapped in a government conspiracy in order to explain it.

To the extent that there is any support for McVeigh, it comes from the white supremacists and neo-nazis who regard what he did as heroic - the act of a "lone wolf."

Kentucky State Militia

The Kentucky State Militia led by Commander Charlie Puckett is extremely active and is currently the strongest active militia in the U.S. The Kentucky State Militia employs a Web site, short-wave radio, personal appearances and militia networking. The KSM also runs militia-training sessions.

Recently, the group sponsored a multi-state militia meeting in Grayson County, Kentucky that featured combat training and a "communications seminar" by a short-wave radio broadcaster who has identified himself as a follower of the Christian Identity movement. He has said "those who worship ‘idols and Gods’ other than Jesus should leave the United States.

Puckett has said that the KSM opposes terrorism and that he would have "ripped Timothy McVeigh’s head off" to stop the Oklahoma City bombing." However, he and his group are preparing members for nuclear war and for potential attacks by the government. This militia’s numbers have been estimated from 100 to 200 members all the way up to a wildly exaggerated 9,500 from someone who claims to have gotten that number from Puckett, personally.

Next: FAQs About Militias