Was Trump gun suspect Vem Miller a “sovereign citizen”?

Vem Miller, the Nevada man who was allegedly arrested at a checkpoint in Southern California on his way to a Donald Trump campaign rally, was linked to a far-right movement called Sovereign Citizens, according to the local sheriff.

Miller was arrested after officers questioned him at a checkpoint and discovered his vehicle had an irregular license plate. The license plate is “homemade and indicative of a group of individuals who claim to be sovereign citizens,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told reporters Sunday.

The Secret Service and other federal agencies said Trump was never in danger. Miller was released on $5,000 bail.

But what is the Sovereign Citizen movement? And why might law enforcement be concerned about someone connected to the group?

More: Officials said Trump was not threatened by a gunman at the California rally

Who are the sovereign citizens?

The Sovereign Citizen movement is a diverse collection of thousands, if not tens of thousands, of anti-government radicals who believe they are not subject to local or national laws or authorities. For example, many sovereign citizens believe that they do not have to pay taxes, and there have been several prominent examples of members of the movement arguing their case – unsuccessfully – in court.

Unlike an organized group or organization like the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys, Sovereign Citizens is essentially a “movement,” said Mark Pitcavage, senior research fellow at the Anti Defamation League's Center on Extremism.

More: Suspect arrested on weapons charges near Trump rally

“They are very anti-authoritarian,” Pitcavage said. “They don’t like it when someone tells them to do something they don’t want to do, they don’t like authority.”

The US Attorney's Office said on Sunday: “The US Secret Service believes that the incident had no impact on protective measures and that former President Trump was not in danger.”

But members of the Sovereign Citizen movement have been involved in anti-government violence. In 2010, a father and son team of self-proclaimed sovereign citizens shot two police officers before being shot dead during a traffic stop in Arkansas.

Under Trump, the sovereign citizen movement grew

Although the Sovereign Citizen movement is not affiliated with any particular party due to its antipathy to politics, it has nonetheless expanded and attracted new members in the era of former President Donald Trump.

According to a recent report from the ADL's Center on Extremism, the Sovereign Citizen movement has grown in recent years “by appealing to new audiences, including anti-vaxxers, QAnon supporters and MAGA supporters.”

“The movement has also spread widely in prisons and jails across the country. Sovereign Citizens have also increased their international presence, expanding to a number of countries around the world,” the ADL briefing said.

The movement, which became increasingly popular in the late 1970s, is inspired and promoted by Sovereign Citizen “gurus” and leaders across the country, many of whom espouse different legal and philosophical theories tied to the general anti-government ethos, said Pitcavage.

“You can find them all over the country,” he said. “It’s a pretty big movement.”

Was Trump gun suspect Vem Miller a “sovereign citizen”?

ByVanessa

Who are the sovereign citizens?

Under Trump, the sovereign citizen movement grew

By Vanessa

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