Nearly a full day after armed anti-government militants led by the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy took over a federal building in Oregon, government officials seemed content to let the situation play out.
Ammon Bundy and two of his brothers led a group of approximately 150 militants to the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon on Saturday night. Reports from the area indicated the militants were in high spirits and ready to stay in the refuge for years, using it as a base for their anti-government operations.
As of Sunday afternoon, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokesperson said the federal government would not be taking any immediate action against the militants.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service and The Bureau of Land Management have received reports that an unknown number of individuals have broken into the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge facility near Burns, Oregon,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“While the situation is ongoing, the main concern is employee safety and we can confirm that no federal staff were in the building at the time of the initial incident. We will continue to monitor the situation for additional developments.”
Since violent confrontations with other extreme groups, like cultists in Waco, Texas, and militants in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, federal law enforcement has favored a non-confrontational approach in standoff situations.
One of those situations came not long ago on the site of the Bundy Ranch in Nevada. Cliven Bundy had refused to pay more than $1 million in fees for the rights to graze his cattle on federal land. The standoff made the Bundys extremist folk heroes to some. They have since been seen as the leaders of the anti-government movement in the western U.S.
The Bundys came to Oregon because of the cases of Dwight and Steven Hammond, set to begin serving a prison sentence for setting fire to federal land. The two brothers were convicted of starting fires to cover up their illegal poaching.
The Hammonds and Bundys both claim the federal government does not control the land and doesn’t have the right to prosecute the Hammonds. The Bundys believe the land in the west belongs to ranchers like themselves and not the federal government.
Ammon Bundy has called on armed militants from around the country to come to the area and make it their base for what appears to be an armed rebellion against the federal government.
He has refused to rule out violence if the federal government takes action against the group.
“We are not terrorists,” Ammon Bundy said. “We are concerned citizens and realize we have to act if we want to pass along anything to our children.”
