County ‘Militia Muster’ draws over 200 to Front Royal VFW property

Earlier rains having passed through, county militia members and 2nd Amendment advocates “mustered” under sunny but not oppressively hot August 22nd skies at the Town of Front Royal Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) headquarters property. The muster’s impetus was to recruit new members and maintain a commitment to being available as auxiliary support to local emergency services and law enforcement in these uncertain weather and political times.

In addition to “Militia Muster” event organizer Sam Haun, speakers included American Revolutionary War “Liberty Man” Larry Johnson, period costumed as his fourth-generation great-grandfather Abel Johnston (there is a story behind that lost “T”), and Republican candidate for Virginia Attorney General, Chuck Smith.

Above, new WC Republican Committee Chairman John Smith, blue shirt, and Republican Attorney General candidate Chuck Smith, kneeling at right, and third man help unfurl a replica of the U.S. Constitution for children to hold as ‘Liberty Man’ Larry Johnson addresses the document’s importance to ‘militia muster’ crowd. Below, the VFW pavilion where activities were centered. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

Contacted Monday, Haun said a gate headcount was about 210 on top of existing militia membership. As for the new membership “muster” element, he cited 91 signing up with another 62 requests for additional information, quite a bolster to the current permanent membership of 52, with 34 support members.

Asked for a perspective two days on, Haun said, “I think it was pretty successful. We got word out we are here and available. It was a decent event, and we accomplished what we wanted to.”

Prior to the start of formal speakers addressing those present, including some fully-outfitted and semi-automatic rifle and/or pistol carrying members, we spoke with Haun and A.G. candidate Smith.

Haun told media present that Warren County Sheriff Mark Butler remained non-committal to the standing militia auxiliary offer out of a concern the local militia might bring too partisan of a political outlook to their armed service to the community.

“He’s afraid that we might back one side of the political spectrum or the other. And so he wants to maintain neutral and that’s what I want to maintain as well. And we’re looking at each other like whose going to fall off the wall first. So, we’re both trying to stay neutral in this whole thing as long as we can,” Haun told this reporter and a reporter and camera crew from The Atlantic, a national monthly magazine present covering the Front Royal/Warren County “Militia Muster”.

From left, Sam Haun, ‘Liberty Man” Larry Johnson and Jeremy Murray prior to formal remarks by Johnson, Haun and Chuck Smith.

Responding to the Atlantic reporter Mike Giglio’s question, “What do you mean as long as you can,” as to neutrality, Haun continued, “If you watch the political divide that we have in this country right now, unfortunately, one side’s pulling a little harder than the other, and they’re the ones we might have to step up against.”

Asked which side he felt was “pulling a little harder” by this reporter, Haun replied with a smile, “Well, that I’m not going to say,” adding, “Watching that pull back and forth it’s hard to stay neutral. But ultimately you have to do your duty to the Constitution … because you should be able to protest against things you don’t like … whether I like the idea of what they’re protesting against or not …”

However, mingling with those gathered before they were formally addressed by speakers, from the prevalence of open-carried firearms – under strict guidelines given on the way in that live rounds could not be chambered in any weapons being carried into the “muster” – and from subsequent speaker comments, including from the Republican candidate for Virginia Attorney General, it was pretty clear “which side” of the political spectrum was dominant at Saturday’s Militia “Muster” recruitment event.

Atlantic photographer photo bombs local media shot as Pledge of Allegiance opens official portion of Saturday’s militia ‘muster’ – not really, I wanted to prove a national news source was there too, while his credential isn’t showing, trust me, it’s true.

And recent gun control red flag laws, among others passed by the Virginia General Assembly’s first Democratic majority in several decades, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement with its sporadic violent outbursts nationally and initiative on the removal of monuments commemorating Confederate Civil War figures, the latter supported by Virginia’s Democratic governor, was not high on the popularity list of those present.

We asked Republican attorney general candidate Chuck Smith how Saturday’s Warren County militia event fit into his statewide campaign.

‘You wanna talk to me?’ Republican A.G. candidate Chuck Smith, left, may have been thinking as intrusive local reporter breaks up his conversation with Haun and James Schultz. – At your convenience, armed sir, that reporter was thinking.

“So, we’re traveling all over the state of Virginia … we’re trying to get to every nook and cranny, every place, every avenue, every street to try to get the word out that we’ve got to get this country back and get the focus back on what’s great about America, about what’s good about America, not what’s bad about America.

“You can find bad in almost anything,” Smith said of varying political perspectives, adding, “This George Floyd incident that is a bad incident … But that does not blanket all acts of authority. I mean, we’ve got bad lawyers for that matter. Are you going to defund all lawyers? There’s bad optics, there’s human nature that factors in,” Smith said of actions and reactions to contemporary historical events as they transpire in real-time before us.

At issue for both sides of our increasingly contentious contemporary political divide, locally and nationally, will be a willingness to listen and actually absorb another side’s perspective, rather than simply talk or yell into an echo chamber of self-righteous, self-justification and stereotypical villainization of others – an unfortunate tendency from some on both sides of the political spectrum these days.

If actual listening and a willingness to talk and learn, rather than simply reject and accuse, is a challenge we all sincerely strive to meet, perhaps we can help Sam Haun and the local militia maintain that neutrality of purpose in defending all American citizens’ right to voice grievances with a less-than-perfectly administered system of government, be it headquartered in Richmond,
Virginia, Washington, D.C., Front Royal and Warren County, or any location on our national map.

Is anybody out there listening?

The Aug. 22 ‘Militia Muster’ crowd was patriotic, respectful of speakers, and careful within prescribed guidelines in handling of their firearms.

Also, an ordained minister, Larry Johnson opens ceremonies with an invocation citing the Divine’s earthly work through his earthly creations.