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Who are Minutemen? Missouri lawmakers want to bring back centuries-old armed civilian colonists tradition

The state senators recently discussed Senate Bill 528, under which any resident of the state with an authorized firearm will be allowed to become part of the minutemen

The lawmakers of the Missouri state discussed a rather strange bill at the recent Senate General Laws Committee. During the meeting on Tuesday, March 30, the state senators considered creating a Missouri Minutemen, a group of people with authorized firearms who could be called to operate by the governor during a state of emergency.

Republican State Senator Bill White from Joplin has proposed to bring it back. White said, “The minuteman component provides the opportunity for Missouri residents to be able to volunteer in the time of extreme emergency to support the needs of the state.” He continued that if an "Armageddon type of event was to occur, Missouri could need the minutemen.”

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“We live in a very turbulent time, and the possibility whether it be man-made or natural disaster that we go to a civilization threatening event ... this does allow a pool of man power that is, by the way, not a military force," White added.

Who are Minutemen?

As per reports, Minutemen were armed civilian colonists during the American Revolutionary War. According to USHistory.org: "Minutemen were a small hand-picked elite force which was required to be highly mobile and able to assemble quickly. Minutemen were selected from militia muster rolls by their commanding officers. Typically 25 years of age or younger, they were chosen for their enthusiasm, reliability, and physical strength. Usually about one quarter of the militia served as Minutemen, performing additional duties as such. The Minutemen were the first armed militia to arrive or await a battle."

The website further says that Minutemen's existence was conceived in Massachusetts during the mid-seventeenth century. As early as 1645 when men were selected from the militia ranks to be dressed with matchlocks or pikes and accouterments within half an hour of being warned. The website claims, the Minutemen lacked was central leadership and this disadvantage may have led to their dissolution.

What does Senate Bill 528 entail?

Now centuries later, in a packed room, the lawmakers discussed Senate Bill 528, under which any resident of the state with an authorized firearm will be allowed to become part of the minutemen through the Department of Public Safety. To voluntarily join the group, people would have to put their names and addresses on a list kept by the Department of Public Safety. White also mentioned that the minutemen are not a militia, but they are additional support to work during a “Civilization Threatening Event”.

It has been said that volunteers who would like to join the minutemen group would have to “secure themselves with firearms, firearm accessories, ammunition, uniforms, equipment, and supplies necessary to perform any duties as assigned by the governor.” Besides, their firearms, accessories, ammunition, uniforms, equipment, and supplies won’t be their personal properties. They would be state property “for purposes of sovereignty and jurisdiction in matters of judicial, taxation, and police powers exercised by the state when a member is called into service.”

White said that the names of members of the group won’t be revealed. But Marine Corps veteran, Peter Lucier, also an advocate for gun control with Everytown for Gun Safety, criticized it, saying, “The anonymity issue of not knowing who or who is or is not a part of this if anything, I think makes this a nightmare for coordination. A bill like this really has the power to bolster and encourage, growing particularly right-wing anti-government extremism.” Lucier added, “A bunch of kind of rag tag forces coming together who are who have been anonymous until being called up by the governor certainly doesn’t seem like an effective force to combat the civilization threatening events.”

People on Twitter also have to say a lot about the proposed bill. One user said, “Not sure what Missourians are thinking, but I'd view this bill with a very discerning eye. Under the US Constitution, a militia is specifically NOT a uniformed force. It is NOT a federal agency and it is NOT typically under officership. Caveat emptor…” Another user wrote, “We’re gonna need it. All red States.” “Sounds great. I pray Missouri does it. And other red states follow,” a user added.