Last Saturday, a few dozen “gun rights” supporters gathered in Olympia to protest I-594, the background check initiative passed by Washington voters last month. The crowd included members of the self-described “Lightfoot Militia,” a private paramilitary group based in Hayden, Idaho, long known as a hub of Neo-Nazi activity. One of the speakers was Richard Mack, a former Arizona sheriff who gained notoriety during the Bundy Ranch standoff for advocating the use of women and children as human shields to protect paramilitary snipers who trained rifles on federal law enforcement officers. Mack is also well known among pro-gun groups for bringing a lawsuit to overturn the federal Brady Law regulating handguns, and as a “birther” and “constitutionalist” who frequently speaks to rightwing groups.
Richard Mack speaking at Bundy Ranch.