American militia movement is a term used by law enforcement and security analysts to refer to a number of private organizations that include paramilitary or similar elements. These groups may refer to themselves as militia, unorganized militia,[1] and constitutional militia.[2] While groups such as the Posse Comitatus existed as early as the 1980s,[3] the movement gained momentum after standoffs with government agents in the early 1990s. By the mid-1990s, such groups were active in all 50 US states, with membership estimated at between 20,000 and 60,000.[4] The movement is most closely associated with the American right-wing. Most modern organizations calling themselves militias are illegal private paramilitary organizations that require official sanctioning of a state government in order to be constiutional.[5][6] While a common belief among members of modern paramilitary groups is that the constitution protects the ability of citizens to have the capability to overthrow the government by force, the Supreme Court has ruled differently.[5][6]
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