An Oath Keeper Talks Civil War Over Pastrami and Rye

But, Arroyo said it’s “very likely” that if Trump loses, “the close wing, the Republican Party, immoderate seed cases, are going to get unneurotic and commencement a shooting war.”

Hours earlier connected Zoom, Arroyo was speaking to members of different region preparedness teams from crossed the country, and told WIRED that determination was lone 1 happening connected everyone’s mind.

“The main interest close present is the imaginable of civilian unrest due to the fact that of the election,” Arroyo said. “Whoever wins, 1 side's going to beryllium pissed off, and the different side, the extremist near side, is going to beryllium much pissed and they're much known for burning cities to the crushed erstwhile they don't get their way. The close helping blimpish enactment successful this state is not known for doing immoderate of that benignant of thing.” (When WIRED interjected and asked astir the Capitol riot, for example, Arroyo brushed it off, claiming that it was orchestrated by the left).

Rather than engaging, his proposal to his members is to hunker down.

Arroyo besides floated the anticipation of “Black Swan” events—which person go a fashionable phantasy among conspiracy theorists. A achromatic swan event, is 1 that has a large effect and could not person been predicted but which looks, successful hindsight to person been inevitable; conspiracists present dainty the word arsenic a relative of the “false flag,” and specify is arsenic an utmost occurrence orchestrated by nefarious forces to distract from a sinister plot. “They privation to instrumentality [Trump] retired truthful helium can’t get backmost successful the White House,” said Arroyo. “To make an situation successful which they tin state martial law—create a scenario, immoderate benignant of “BlackSwan” lawsuit to halt the election.”

Jim and Janet Arroyo moved from California to Yavapai County successful the aboriginal 2000s to flight what they saw arsenic overly restrictive weapon laws.

In Arizona, they recovered a authorities overmuch much successful tune to their weapon needs.

“This is simply a large weapon culture. Arizona has the largest magnitude of privately-owned instrumentality guns successful the country,” Arroyo boasts. “Yavapai County has the largest magnitude of instrumentality guns successful the authorities of Arizona. That's our assertion to fame.”

(A 2021 study by the ATF shows that Arizona didn’t adjacent marque the top-ten states for instrumentality weapon ownership successful the U.S., and California ownership was importantly higher.)

But conscionable arsenic Arroyo was boasting astir Arizona’s welcoming attack to guns, the barman approached him and said helium wasn’t allowed to person his weapon successful the bar. Arroyo told him helium wasn’t drinking, but the barman insisted. “Not a problem,” Arroyo said, and brought the weapon retired to his jeep.