The American people have long had a love-hate relationship with the existence of well-regulated militia groups. Truth be told, they are usually loved by the Right and hated by the Left. The perception has been that militia groups are nothing more than right-winged white males who are anti-government to the core. The anti-defamation league would have you believe that the militia in America is somehow a newly formed cult that is hell-bent on overthrowing the government. A group that is easily swayed by conspiracy theorists with devious thoughts to stave off The New World Order and a One World Governance.
They post on their website that its origins date from Mid-to-late 1993 in the wake of the FBI’s stand-off with the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. You can find their rhetoric here.
https://www.adl.org/education/resources/backgrounders/militia-movement
Of course, there is no need to go into the historical background and how the United States Constitution allows for forming a “Well regulated Militia.” If you’re reading this, I’m sure you have an understanding of what our founding fathers intended when they took pen to paper.
Yet even today, law scholars debate on the intent of the second amendment. They argue that the purpose is for the “states” to maintain a well-regulated militia and that the “people’s” right to bear arms shall not be infringed upon, making a clear separation of the two. However, we know that the second amendment and a well-regulated militia go hand in hand with each other.
Forget all that. Let’s talk about the day the militias died in the United States. On January 6th, 2021, after President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal ” rally, a violent protest broke out in Washington, D.C, where rioters stormed the capital building.
As the event occurred, the news media was abuzz with scripted talking points already loaded in the chamber. “Three percenters!”, “Proud Boys,” “Oath Keepers!”, “Insurrection!” and my favorite, “An attack on Democracy!” They paraded congressmen and women in front of the camera with bold banners underneath their terrified faces that said things like, “I thought we would be killed in the chamber,” “We were forced to flee for our lives,” and “The worst day in U.S history.” News agencies struck quickly, wanting to link these organizations and “the worst day in U.S history” to Donald Trump as if he was some cult leader who could easily manipulate his minions into doing his bidding by merely speaking.
In the days after a commission was formed, a push was on to label most militia groups as domestic terrorist organizations. Now bear in mind we had just gone through some of the worst riots in the United States by groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter, riots so heinous that people were murdered, raped, and looted. Neighborhoods were completely burned to the ground and a portion of Portland was even occupied and claimed as a lawless sanctuary. Yet to this day, neither one of these groups are considered domestic terrorist organizations.
This threat made the moderate militia members flee for the hills for fear of being ostracized or, in some cases, even charged with crimes. Hard-working Americans of all ethnicities who simply believed that their constitutional rights were being violated now had no like-minded people with which to stand. Was that the left’s plan all along? You decide.
Please don’t fret. Like other organizations have done in the past, the patriotic Americans who don’t harbor ill will toward the government have rebranded themselves. They’ve removed themselves from the militias perceived doctrine and stigma. They toned down the conspiracy-laden chatter regardless of whether they felt it was right or wrong, especially on social media.
The prepper community now has an influx of new motivated members. Members who have no desire to follow a militaristic organizational style. They’ve turned prepping into a more business-like approach to survival, providing for their members much like a CEO would look out for their board members and shareholders.
The resurgence of Mutual Assistance Groups, or MAG’s, is flooding back into the prepping world with a vengeance, bringing with them the opportunity to expand your group with people who may have a skill set that would become valuable for securing your assets. That said, proper vetting has become more critical than ever before.
So what’s a Mutual Assistance Group?
“A MAG or Mutual Assistance Group is a group of like-minded individuals who agree to help and assist each other during an emergency or crisis. It’s simply a group of preppers who pool their skills and resources together to make it easier for the members of the group to survive in times of disaster.” – CityPrepper.com
How do MAGs differ from other prepping groups?
A well-run mutual assistance group should have an organizational chart akin to a small business. The most successful groups I’ve had the honor to evaluate are set up as Corporations, with a CEO, treasurer, secretary, and board of directors. They have assets in the corporation’s name and a minimum buy-in to become a part of the group.
“Buy-in” is a critical factor in any group. It gives the participants, or “shareholders”, a vested interest in the success or failure of the organization. Plus, it weeds out the “run and gun” guys that tend to be more offensive than defensive. You know the guys with ten thousand rounds of 5.56 and a two-thousand dollar AR, but their food stores consist of two sleeves of SPAM and a case of red bull. They have an IFAK strapped to their plate carrier but no bandaids in their preps. You get my point.
A successful mutual assistance group is where the shareholders localize their assets in one primary and/or secondary location. Localization of assets is probably one of the most important factors because it shows that the participants genuinely intend on using the location in a SHTF scenario and the likelihood of them showing up is almost guaranteed.
Suppose the members of your prepping group intend on bringing their food, bandaids, guns, and ammo with them at the beginning of TEOTWAWKI event to your primary or secondary bug-out location. In that case, the chances of them showing up is five percent at best. Their intention from the beginning was to shelter in place, ultimately leaving you and your core members high and dry when your M.A.G needs them the most.
What steps do you need to take to form a successful Mutual Assistance Group?
There are many books and blogs on how to do that, so I’m not going to go into great detail, but I will offer some bullet points to get you started.
- Form a corporation and run your MAG like a business. Separate your finances from the groups.
- Establish a firm set of membership requirements. “Buy-In”
- Interview your applicants. Vet them like your life depends on it because it will.
- Be prepared to turn away friends. Some of your friends are cool to hang out with but can you live with them for a long duration, especially during the most challenging times?
- Seek out competent tradespeople: Doctors, Electricians, Plumbers, Builders, Farmers, and firearms experts (Real ones, not the YouTube experts), for example. You’d be surprised how many professional people are like-minded.
- Have your applicants meet your group offsite, away from your bug-out location. A weekend campout at a state park is a great way to see if they are a good fit for you and your families.
- Don’t be afraid to say no. Not everyone will be a good match for your group and that’s alright.
Good luck and stay safe!
Faith-Family-Country
-Tooch
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