Democrat lawmakers on Capitol Hill are teeing up legislation that could result in a massive gun grab and criminalize everything from gun safety training groups to firearm ranges as well as private security teams serving at U.S. churches.
The Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act of 2024 – introduced by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and reviewed by The National Pulse – creates new federal criminal and civil penalties for armed citizen groups that “publicly patrol, drill, or engage in techniques capable of causing bodily injury or death.” Additionally, the legislation criminalizes groups that “assume the functions of a law enforcement officer, peace officer, or public official, whether or not acting under color of law.”
The House (H.R.6981) and Senate (S.3589) versions of the legislation were introduced recently. Both sit in the Judiciary Committees of their respective chambers. Congressional Democrats claim the legislation is meant to enhance the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ability to prosecute organized, armed groups who engage in violence and intimidation. However, Rep. Raskin, the lead House sponsor, has also acknowledged the Democrat bill could be used against private militias “[p]atrolling neighborhoods.”
Both Raskin and Markey have leaned heavily on narratives surrounding the January 6 Capitol riots and the 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right rally as the impetus for their legislation. While a handful of individuals had firearms on January 6, there has been little evidence of any organized militia groups that participated in the riot being armed while at the Capitol — despite the claims by Markey and Raskin. The Oath Keepers acknowledged that they stored a cache of weapons at a hotel several miles away in Northern Virginia. Those were never brought into the District of Columbia or near the Capitol Building.
