[lsiebert]

all 50 states prohibit private militia groups. https://www.npr.org/2020/08/30/907720068/are-citizen-militia...

"...But one thing is consistent - all 50 states have some provision in their state law, whether it's their state constitution or their state statutes, that prohibits private militia, private paramilitary activity. And that's also the case in Wisconsin. In addition, many states, including Wisconsin, prohibit private individuals, untrained, unaccountable to civilian authority from taking on official functions - functions of an official public officer like a police officer without any authority."

[LinuxBender]

Could there be a loophole if a group instead of calling themselves a private militia, instead calls themselves a {insert whatever} activist group and instead of paramilitary activity, they practice {insert whatever} peace protests? Asking because some of the organized groups in the past few years on the media appear to be heavily armed, organized and quite destructive.

[lsiebert]

I'm not sure I'd call it a loophole, it's still illegal to hurt people or damage property, but certainly there is evidence to suggest bugaloo boys and white nationalists are doing exactly that, by infiltrating peaceful protests.

https://www.salon.com/2020/06/17/far-right-boogaloo-boy-kill... https://heavy.com/news/2020/07/mitchell-carlson-umbrella-man... https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/boogaloo-b... https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/boogaloo-bois-member-charged... https://www.complex.com/life/2020/07/white-supremacists-infi...

[rconti]

Wow. I had absolutely no idea militas were not legal. I remember hearing so much about them in the 90s in particular. Never once realized they were not legal.