Self described as a group that “[brings] Oregon citizens together, learning, teaching and practicing the responsibility of being an American Citizen” the Oregon Militia Alliance (OMA) has stirred up quite the commotion between themselves and the federal government. On January 2 a band of armed militants known as the OMA charged the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. There, they took over the visitor center, protesting the legal plight of two local ranchers who were convicted of arson. The OMA’s ultimate goal for this raid was to defy the federal government’s oversight of vast landholdings in the West. This controversial group is led by Ammon Bundy. If the name “Bundy” rings a bell, it is probably because Ammon’s father, Cliven Bundy, also started a revolt against federal authorities back in 2014 to avoid paying grazing fees on public land in Nevada. Now the group is even using Facebook to call all “patriots” to come and join the refuge, with their guns on hand, and join this battle.

After much confusion and turmoil, the militias overall goal was uncovered: they want to coax the federal government to turn over government-owned land to locals, such as ranchers, loggers and miners, for their use. In order to understand the motives of the militia, one must also understand western grazing rights. Living in the suburbs of Washington D.C. it is quite difficult to put myself into the shoes of an Oregonian rancher. However, I do realize that they have a strong need for sufficient land. Over in the west, people need to obtain grazing rights to public land through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM); hence the bitterness. Grazing is not a legal right in the United States, so the BLM has complete control over their land holdings, and who and what they allow on it. Since the main goal of the BLM is to protect public land and conserve natural resources, it makes perfect sense that they would be cautious when it comes to ranchers wanting to use their land. To add, the BLM is actually pretty lenient when it comes to granting grazing permits. They are totally fine with ranchers using their land for their cows and sheep to feed off of. As long as the terms and conditions of the permit are met, the BLM is generous. The federal government’s job is to safeguard the nation against any harm or damage. Land is a precious resource that needs to conserved for the generations to come. The federal government has a huge responsibility, and it is their right to make the decision over whether certain people are granted grazing rights on public land or not.

With that being said, one must additionally be aware of the one thing that sparked the outrage on the federal government in the first place. To give a short summary, two ranchers, Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steve, were convicted of federal arson charges due to a pair of fires found on the federal land by their ranch.  The first fire spread to over 140 acres of government land, and was set to cover up the illegal poaching of deer. The Hammonds’ claimed that second fire was set to ward of invasive plant species and protect their property from wildfires. However, while the federal prosecutors agreed that the fires were a defensive measure, they also noted that these men violated a burn ban. Obviously, causing fires on federal land is very illegal, and calls for serious consequences. When the two men were brought into the courtroom this past October they were given a chance to defend themselves, yet both stated that they had nothing to say. The men are now serving five years in prison.

Whether you side with the federal government or the OMA, it is hard to defend the militia’s over-exaggeration and rash actions. Although this alliance can be praised for fighting for their rights, the fact of the matter is that if they want more grazing right on public property, they may just have to follow the rules and regulations set by the federal government first. The OMA is approaching this issue with a threat of violence, and it seems to be doing them more harm than good. The land is protected for a reason, and trust must now form between the militia and the federal government. After that, a peaceful negotiation may be more effective than the forceful tactics currently being demonstrated by the group.