On this day in 1992 the US Marshals, FBI, and ATF began their siege on the American family living atop Ruby Ridge.
Armed men from the government in ghillie suits shot Randy Weaver's 14 year old son in the back, shot his wife in the face when she was holding her baby, shot Randy in the shoulder while he was checking on his son who had just been shot, and shot his friend Kevin as well. They also shot and killed his dog.
All of this occurred following a federal agent entrapping Randy to modify a shotgun in a way the State didn't like.
There is no law too small that the government isn't willing to kill you to enforce. Not one.
#RubyRidge #CivilRights #tyranny #police #FBI #Marshals
Randy Weaver and his friend (who was present) were tried on a variety of federal criminal charges, including 1st degree murder for the death of Degan, a Deputy Marshal that died in the shootout.
Weaver's legal team shot back, accusing federal agencies of criminal wrongdoing—the FBI, the US Marshals Service, the ATF, and the US Attorney's Office for Idaho.
It worked. Weaver and his pal were acquitted of all the siege-related charges, and Weaver was only found guilty of violating his bail terms and of failing to appear for a court hearing, both related to the original federal firearms charges.
They then filed civil suits against the feds. In August 1995, the Weavers won a combined out-of-court settlement of $3.1 million; Harris was awarded a $380,000 settlement in September 2000.
34 years ago today, while raiding their family home in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, the ATF murdered 14-year-old Samuel Weaver and soon after murdered his mother while she held her infant child in her arms.
All because ATF agents believed their father had a shotgun with a barrel 1/8" too short.
They shot the family dog, too. In fact, it was their killing of the dog that prompted young Samuel to shoot at the snipers, prompting them to shoot and kill the kid.
It was an 11-day siege. The US Marshals came to arrest Randy, the husband/father, on a bench warrant for failure to appear on federal firearms charges.
Never forget that 34 years ago, in August of 1992, we learned the government will kill your dog, shoot your 14 year old son in the back and snipe your wife in the doorway of her own home, while she holds your infant child. #RubyRidge