Q: Is it legal to form an all volunteer group with the purpose of protecting citizens from rioters?
Say I have a group that goes out and purchases riot gear, and then travels around the country and stops riots or steps in before police can to protect others. Would that be legal? I want to see if there is a way to keep people safe from groups like antifa
A: Depends what you mean by protect. Because you chose to, in a premeditated way, inject yourself you may violate a number of statutes, state and federal. I'm sure that you will find enough injustice in Oklahoma to work on that you won't need to go outside the state. Looks to me like antifa and the groups they rumble with are pretty well matched, and those groups don't need--and may resent your "protection." Local police certainly won't thank you for butting in, and may reach for the statute book. And if you "protect" a little aggressively, you could end up with charges. You can form a group. From there on in the legality of any given step should be discussed with an attorney.
Robert Donald Gifford II agrees with this answer
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