General Category > Second Amendment

S. 3589: Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act of 2024

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mountaineer:
Bill pending in U.S. Senate to ban private militias.
--- Quote ---... A BILL

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit unauthorized private paramilitary activity, and for other purposes.
1. Short title - This Act may be cited as the "Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act of 2024".
2. Prohibition of unauthorized private paramilitary activity  ...

(9) Private paramilitary organization - The term private paramilitary organization means any group of 3 or more persons associating under a command structure for the purpose of functioning in public or training to function in public as a combat, combat support, law enforcement, or security services unit.

Sec. 2742.

Unauthorized private paramilitary activity
(a) Offense
It shall be unlawful to knowingly, in a circumstance described in subsection (b), while acting as part of or on behalf of a private paramilitary organization and armed with a firearm, explosive or incendiary device, or other dangerous weapon—
(1) publically patrol, drill, or engage in techniques capable of causing bodily injury or death;  ...
--- End quote ---
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/s3589/text

Since the Constitution says militias should be well regulated, does banning people from training violate that provision? After all, that's what well regulated means.

Looks to me like the law would ban my church's security team ("security services unit"), of which Mr. M and I are members. We have received police-style training with our weapons and regularly go to the range to maintain our skills - with guns and ammunition that are capable of causing bodily injury or death. Oops, that may be "publically" patrolling or drilling.

mountaineer:
Co-sponsor, clown Sen. Ed Markey, touts the bill in a press release:

--- Quote ---anuary 11, 2024
Following January 6th Anniversary, Senator Markey and Congressman Raskin Introduce Legislation to Stop Private Paramilitary Activity

Washington (January 11, 2024) - Following the anniversary of the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) introduced the Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act, legislation that would create a federal prohibition on paramilitary groups through civil and criminal enforcement. The prohibition would hold individuals liable who directly engage in certain types of conduct, including intimidating state and local officials, interfering with government proceedings, pretending to be law enforcement, and violating people’s constitutional rights, while armed and acting as part of a private paramilitary organization. 

There are currently no federal laws that address paramilitary activity or protect millions of Americans whose rights are threatened by this type of violent anti-democratic intimidation. Although all 50 states prohibit private paramilitary conduct, these laws are far too often outdated, underenforced, or ignored. Private military organizations pose a threat not only to national security, but they also present a public safety problem that extends beyond any single state; for example, private paramilitary actors like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers traveled across state lines on January 6th. 

“Three years ago, white supremacists affiliated with paramilitary organizations stormed the U.S. Capitol, shattering windows, walls, and the families of five U.S. Capitol police officers,” said Senator Markey. “Private paramilitary actors, such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, pose a serious threat to democracy and the rule of law, and we must create new prohibitions on their unauthorized activities that interfere with the exercise of people’s constitutional rights. The forces of bigotry, hatred, and violent extremism must be stopped for the sake of our democracy.”

“Patrolling neighborhoods, impeding law enforcement and storming the U.S. Capitol, private paramilitary groups like the Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters and the Proud Boys are using political violence to intimidate our people and threaten democratic government and the rule of law,” said Congressman Raskin. “Our legislation makes the obvious but essential clarification that these domestic extremists’ paramilitary operations are in no way protected by our Constitution. I’m grateful to Senator Markey for his partnership on this critical effort to protect the rule of law, deter insurrection and defend our democracy.”  ...
--- End quote ---
Freaking liars.

Timber Rattler:
Totally unconstitutional, via several of the original ten amendments, i.e. the Bill of Rights.

mountaineer:
Ian Miles Cheong
@stillgray
Sen. Markey and Rep. Raskin have introduced a bill to ban all private militias such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. I guess the First and Second Amendments don’t exist anymore.
2:22 AM · Jan 31, 2024

John Hawkins
@johnhawkinsrwn
Liberals spent all of 2020 allowing their own private BLM and ANTIFA militias run wild in liberal cities and then they rewarded them for breaking the law with massive settlements in cities all across America.
4:25 AM · Jan 31, 2024

mountaineer:
Yep, same conclusion I reached when I found this story back on Jan. 31.
--- Quote ---Senate Democrats Propose Bill That Would Criminalize Armed Church Security
Paul Brown
Feb. 16, 2024
Protestia

A recent Lifeway survey of Protestant pastors shows that armed congregants protect more than 50% of protestant churches. While these security arrangements vary in their level of sophistication on a church-by-church basis, nearly the same number of pastors who report the use of armed congregants report that there is an intentional plan in place to prepare for threats posed by an active shooter. Though various state and local laws currently regulate and limit the use of concealed carry weapons by church security teams in various locale, a proposed federal law would criminalize the preparations made by many armed church security teams across the United States.

Sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) and cosponsored by Senator Laphonza Butler (D-CA), the Preventing Private Military Activity Act of 2024 widely defines a paramilitary group as any group of 3 or more persons who function under a command structure as a “security services unit.” ...

If passed, the bill would make it illegal to “publicly patrol, drill, or engage in techniques capable of causing bodily injury or death.” Power to enforce this law would be derived from the interstate commerce clause of the constitution, as the proposed bill would be applicable whenever a church security team utilizes either weapons or ammunition that have “traveled in interstate or foreign commerce,” a clause that applies to nearly every weapon and round of ammunition in circulation. Additionally, even the act of training to engage in an activity that could cause bodily injury or death, such as an active shooter drill, would be considered a violation of federal law under the proposal. ...
--- End quote ---

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