An Oath Keeper Talks Civil War Over Pastrami on Rye

In our interview, Arroyo took a bipartisan view on who he believes may instigate a future battle.

“Let’s simply say, hypothetically, the left loses this race, which is wanting like that would occur,” Arroyo mentioned. “The novel left is violent and might mobilize lots of people to do quite a lot of harm. The suitable, in the event that they get pushed too far, have all of the weapons, all of the coaching, all of the expertise.” (Knowledge doesn’t assist a both-sides method; a report earlier this year by the Nationwide Institute of Justice discovered that far-right assaults proceed to considerably outpace all different varieties of terrorism and home violent extremism, together with from the left).

However Arroyo mentioned it’s “very seemingly” that if Trump loses, “the best wing, the Republican Get together, some nutcases, are going to get collectively and begin a taking pictures struggle.”

Hours earlier on Zoom, Arroyo was talking to members of different county preparedness groups from throughout the nation and informed WIRED that there was just one factor on everybody’s thoughts.

“The primary concern proper now could be the potential of civil unrest due to the election,” Arroyo mentioned. “Whoever wins, one facet’s going to be pissed off, and the opposite facet, the radical-left facet, goes to be extra pissed, they usually’re extra identified for burning cities to the bottom when they do not get their approach. The suitable-wing conservative occasion on this nation is just not identified for doing any of that sort of factor.” (When WIRED interjected and requested concerning the Capitol riot, for instance, Arroyo brushed it off, claiming that it was orchestrated by the left).

Moderately than participating, his recommendation to his members is to hunker down.

Arroyo additionally floated the opportunity of “black swan” occasions—which have develop into a well-liked fantasy amongst conspiracy theorists. A black swan occasion is one which has an ideal impact and couldn’t have been predicted however which seems in hindsight to have been inevitable; conspiracists now deal with the time period as a cousin of the “false flag” and outline it as an excessive prevalence orchestrated by nefarious forces to distract from a sinister plot. “They need to take [Trump] out so he can’t get again within the White Home,” mentioned Arroyo. “To create an setting through which they will declare martial regulation—create a situation, some sort of black swan occasion to halt the election.”

Jim and Janet Arroyo moved from California to Yavapai County within the early 2000s to flee what they noticed as overly restrictive gun legal guidelines.

In Arizona, they discovered a state far more in tune to their gun wants.

“This can be a huge gun tradition. Arizona has the biggest quantity of privately owned machine weapons within the nation,” Arroyo boasts. “Yavapai County has the biggest quantity of machine weapons within the state of Arizona. That is our declare to fame.”

(A 2021 report by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reveals that Arizona didn’t even make the highest 10 states for machine gun possession, and California possession was considerably increased.)

However simply as Arroyo was boasting about Arizona’s welcoming method to weapons, the barman approached him and mentioned he wasn’t allowed to have his gun within the bar. Arroyo informed him he wasn’t consuming, however the barman insisted. “Not an issue,” Arroyo mentioned, and introduced the gun out to his jeep.

You’ll be able to comply with all of WIRED’s 2024 presidential election coverage here.