{"id":113856,"date":"2019-11-23T18:07:59","date_gmt":"2019-11-23T23:07:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=113856"},"modified":"2019-11-23T18:07:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T02:09:16","slug":"the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\/","title":{"rendered":"The Guns of Ruby Ridge: America Teeters at the Precipice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"The
In the summer of 1992, a violent confrontation between Randy Weaver and federal Law Enforcement agencies led to three needless deaths and an 11-day standoff. The repercussions of this horrible event still resonate today. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The very mention of Ruby Ridge still elicits powerful emotions. In 1992 with a Republican in the White House, the full might of the US government was unleashed on an American citizen and his family. I\u2019ll not debate the man\u2019s politics or the righteousness of the investigation. What is indisputable, however, is that a 14-year-old boy, an unarmed mother holding an infant, and a US Marshal died violently in a miserably botched Law Enforcement operation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Right-wing sources paint government agents as psychopathic thugs. Left-wing sources say Weaver and his family deserved what they got. Studying both testified to the remarkably fractured nature of modern American society. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Researching this tale was tough. Facts\nfrom sources I should be able to trust were in overt conflict with those of\nother sources I should also be able to trust. Where the details are incongruous\nI\u2019ll try to stay neutral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Man<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Randy Weaver became an icon for the American Far Right. His showdown with federal authorities marked the birth of the modern American militia movement. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Randy Weaver was born in 1948 to Clarence\nand Wilma Weaver of Villisca, Iowa. He had three siblings. Randy was raised a\ntheological fundamentalist yet eventually became a self-described atheist. In\nOctober of 1968 at age 20 Weaver dropped out of community college and enlisted\nin the Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Weaver\u2019s Special Forces affiliation gave rise to his reputed persona as a grizzled survivalist lurking in the mountains waiting to take on the feds. The reality was markedly different. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some sources I read described Weaver as a\nhardened Green Beret in the mold of John Rambo. Others said he was trained as a\nCombat Engineer and assigned to a Special Forces unit but not a graduate of the\nSpecial Warfare Center and School. Regardless, he served on active duty for\nthree years and was honorably discharged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Randy and Vicki Weaver were simple people whose distrust of government and quest for solitude resulted in a horribly pointless tragedy. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For a time afterward, Weaver studied Criminal Justice at the University of Northern Iowa. Ironically his stated goal was to become an FBI agent. He dropped out of school when he could no longer afford tuition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Apparently, the Weaver home was warm and loving in the months leading up to the showdown. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1992 Weaver lived on his rural 20-acre Idaho property with his wife Vicki, Sara age 16, Sammy age 14, Rachel age 10, and 10-month-old daughter Elisheba along with an adult friend named Kevin Harris. The Weavers have been alternately described as white supremacists, white separatists, religious fundamentalists, or just nice simple folks wanting to be left alone. In retrospect, none of that matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Crime<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Weaver sold a single barrel H&R shotgun along with a Remington 870 to a supposed friend for $300. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The US government was actively attempting to infiltrate white nationalist groups in the area using a series of undercover informants. Randy Weaver sold a pair of shotguns to one of them. One gun was a simple single-shot 12-gauge. The other was a slide action Remington 870. Weaver claimed the informant approached him about the sale. The government asserted that Weaver initiated the exchange. A jury later sided with Weaver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Short-barreled shotguns have a mythical reputation well beyond their actual utility. Long barrels offer better performance, while handguns are easier to conceal. I never could find out definitive dimensions of the barrels in question. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The shotgun barrels were cut below the legal minimum of 18 inches. Several sources claimed they were only a quarter-inch too short. Another said they were five inches shy. The government said Weaver cut the barrels. Weaver alleged that the informant pruned the tubes after the sale. This bit of information turns out to be really important. It also makes the arbitrary rules on gun barrel length look pretty stupid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
A clerical error precipitated an extensive 18-month surveillance and apprehension operation\u2014all over a shortened shotgun barrel. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Law Enforcement officials accused Weaver of creating two illegal short-barreled shotguns but offered to drop the charges if he would infiltrate nearby white supremacist organizations. Weaver refused and a court date was scheduled. Due to an administrative oversight, Weaver\u2019s notification of his court appearance was one month later than the actual date. When Weaver inevitably failed to appear a warrant was issued for his arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tragedy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Randy Weaver\u2019s remote cabin became the focus of a massive multi-agency tactical Law Enforcement operation. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Federal Marshals pursued Weaver for a year and a half, eventually establishing surveillance positions around his home. It was alleged that Marshals threw rocks at the cabin to test the response of the family dogs. Regardless, when Weaver\u2019s dog Striker began barking at the federal agents Kevin Harris and Sammy went to investigate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
This antique WW1-era Infantry rifle remains a deadly combat implement. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Harris carried a bolt-action M1917\nmilitary rifle. Young Sammy packed a Mini-14. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Sammy Weaver was fourteen at the time he was shot and killed by federal agents. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Every narrative I could find seemed\nshaded by an agenda. These are the dispassionate facts–the Marshals killed the\nfamily dog with an M16A2 and shot Sammy in the back with a 9mm Colt submachine\ngun. Harris killed Federal Marshal Bill Degan with a single round from his M1917.\nWeaver and Harris retreated inside the cabin but later retrieved Sammy\u2019s body. The feds\nresponded with more than 300 agents, lawmen, and National Guardsmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
This is purportedly the rifle used by today\u2019s HRT snipers. The flawed Rules of Engagement during the Ruby Ridge operation led to a further horrible tragedy. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Law Enforcement commanders issued liberal\nrules of engagement demanding that any armed adult male be shot on sight.\nInvestigators later determined this to be both unconstitutional and legally indefensible.\nThis epically flawed decision set the stage for the disaster that followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Lon Horiuchi was a military veteran and sniper on the elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lon Horiuchi was a West Point graduate and former infantry officer. On August 22, 1992, Horiuchi was a sniper for the FBI Hostage Rescue Team set up in sniper hide Sierra 4 some 180 meters from the Weaver homestead. When Randy Weaver, Sara, and Kevin Harris left the cabin to tend to Sammy\u2019s body, Horiuchi fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
This government surveillance photo shows members of the Weaver family near where the shootings took place. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Horiuchi later testified that he had\nintended to shoot Weaver through the spine, but that the man moved at the\nmoment he squeezed the trigger. The heavy rifle bullet subsequently entered\nWeaver\u2019s back and exited his right armpit. As Weaver and Harris ran for the\ncabin Horiuchi cycled his rifle and fired a second round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Government surveillance assets captured this haunting image of Vicki Weaver about an hour before she was shot to death by an FBI sniper. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This second shot badly wounded Harris and\nstruck Randy\u2019s wife Vicki in the throat, killing her as she stood in the cabin door\nholding their infant daughter. The subsequent standoff lasted another ten days\nbefore Weaver and Harris, now near death, finally surrendered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Federal agents maintained an extensive base of operations near the house site. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the standoff, federal agents named their operating base Camp Vicki after Weaver\u2019s wife. Negotiators during the siege called out such stuff as, \u201cVicki, we have blueberry pancakes\u201d in an effort at taunting the Weavers. Though they later claimed they had not realized Vicki was dead, the effect on those within the cabin was absolutely inhuman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weaver\u2019s Guns<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
There was a great deal of misinformation released by the government during the siege. Most of it was flavored to make Weaver and his facility seem more imposing than it was. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Government press releases described Randy Weaver as a hardened white supremacist Green Beret holed up in a mountain fortress equipped with an arsenal of deadly weapons. In reality, the Weaver home was little more than a glorified shack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
This is a shot of the weapons seized from Weaver\u2019s home after the siege ended. By the standards of the American South, that\u2019s not much of an arsenal. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even today I was unable to locate a\nproper inventory of the weapons found in the cabin. However, I did find a\nphotograph. Here are the guns Weaver actually possessed at the time of the\nkillings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The M1917 Enfield was a rugged and effective WW1-era Infantry rifle. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the bottom is an M1917 Enfield. This\nis presumably the rifle Harris used to kill Marshal Degan. The M1917 is a\nbolt-action adaptation of a British design chambered in .30-06. The gun weighs\n9.2 pounds and loads from the top via five-round stripper clips. While the\n1903A3 Springfield got most of the press during WW1, Sergeant Alvin York was\ncarrying an M1917 Enfield when he won his Medal of Honor in October of 1918.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Ruger Mini-14 was designed to compete with the AR15 among American gun enthusiasts. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Weaver\u2019s arsenal also\nincluded a pair of Ruger Mini-14 semiautomatic rifles, one blued and another\nstainless. Ruger first introduced the Mini-14 in 1973. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Mini-14 is lightweight and easily accessorized. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A collaborative effort between Bill Ruger\nand James Sullivan, the Mini-14 was loosely based upon the action of the M1\nGarand and fired .223 Remington. The Mini-14 feeds from detachable box magazines\nand weighs just south of 6.5 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The coach gun is a side-by-side shotgun so named based upon its use as a defensive arm on 19th-century stagecoaches. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A bolt-action hunting weapon, a scoped lever-action\nSavage, and a pump-action .22 round out the rifles. Agents seized a\ndouble-barreled 12-gauge coach gun and a single-shot shotgun as well as a\nvariety of handguns and revolvers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The top weapon is a souped-up pellet gun. That it was included in the lineup at all makes the whole thing seem a bit contrived. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The collapsible stock weapon at the top\nis a Crosman pellet rifle. My little brother had one like it when we were kids.\nThe fact that the feds saw fit to include it in the layout frankly makes the\nwhole affair seem all the more pathetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sordid\nAftermath<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Kevin Harris was found not guilty of killing Federal Marshal Bill Degan. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kevin Harris was charged with a variety of offenses to include the murder of a federal agent but was ultimately acquitted. Weaver was absolved of all charges save the original failure to appear. For this, he served 18 months in prison and was fined $10,000. Both Harris and Weaver subsequently sued the US government in a civil lawsuit. Weaver\u2019s suit demanded $200 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Though Weaver was a fixture at American gun shows for a time, he has steadfastly refused to grant formal interviews. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The government ultimately settled both suits. Harris took home $380,000, while the Weaver family was awarded a cumulative $3.1 million. One government lawyer later remarked that it was a good thing the case did not go to trial, as Weaver quite probably would have been awarded the full sum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Many of the same government figures at Ruby Ridge went on to play significant roles in the Waco debacle. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lon Horiuchi also served as a sniper the\nfollowing year during the government\u2019s comparably\nbotched siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. He was charged\nwith manslaughter for killing Vicki Weaver, but the charges were in time administratively\ndismissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Rage over these two egregious examples of Law Enforcement overreach catalyzed Timothy McVeigh\u2019s bombing of the Murrah building in Oklahoma City. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Ruby Ridge and Waco killings\nprecipitated a maelstrom of anti-government vitriol that culminated in Timothy\nMcVeigh\u2019s bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995. McVeigh\nkilled 168 people in this attack, the worst case of domestic terrorism in\nAmerican history. He was executed in 2001. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Sara Weaver has a powerful testimony. Her website www.rubyridgetofreedom.com<\/a> is worth a surf. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What remained of the Weaver family eventually moved to Montana. Randy wrote a book, while his eldest daughter Sara became a born-again Christian. In 2012 she stated that she had forgiven the federal agents who killed her mother and brother. Amidst a veritable sea of hate, venom, accusations, and agendas, Sara\u2019s seems the lonely voice of hope and reconciliation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Ruby Ridge killings galvanized the anti-government movement in America. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On a blood-drenched Idaho mountainside in 1992 our nation teetered, struggling to define itself on issues of race, freedom, and guns. Now some 27 years later the subsequent wounds are not yet fully healed. Aftershocks still play out on the news even today. God help us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The very mention of Ruby Ridge still elicits powerful emotions. In 1992 with a Republican in the White House, the full might of the US government was unleashed on an American citizen and his family. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":113901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,257,772],"tags":[132,102,2159,752],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-113856","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gunsamerica-authors","8":"category-historical-guns","9":"category-will-dabbs","10":"tag-buzz","11":"tag-feature-articles","12":"tag-government","13":"tag-historical-guns"},"yoast_head":"\nThe Guns of Ruby Ridge: America Teeters at the Precipice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Guns of Ruby Ridge: America Teeters at the Precipice - Will Dabbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Guns of Ruby Ridge: America Teeters at the Precipice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The very mention of Ruby Ridge still elicits powerful emotions. In 1992 with a Republican in the White House, the full might of the US government was unleashed on an American citizen and his family.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/will.dabbs.9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-23T23:07:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-06T02:09:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/rubydabbs-30.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"721\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Will Dabbs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gunsamerica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Will Dabbs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Will Dabbs\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4b818f415191c071a88bdc0d8cb33eca\"},\"headline\":\"The Guns of Ruby Ridge: America Teeters at the Precipice\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-23T23:07:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-06T02:09:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2129,\"commentCount\":73,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/rubydabbs-30.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Buzz\",\"Feature Articles\",\"Government\",\"Historical Guns\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Authors\",\"Historical Guns\",\"Will Dabbs\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Guns of Ruby Ridge: America Teeters at the Precipice\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/the-guns-of-ruby-ridge-america-teeters-at-the-precipice\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/rubydabbs-30.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-23T23:07:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-06T02:09:16+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Guns of Ruby Ridge: America Teeters at the Precipice - 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However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\\\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. 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