Man Behind Bundy Ranch Standoffs Plans Massive Easter Sunday Gathering in Defiance of Government Orders

Ammon Bundy is planning to hold a massive thousand-person Easter gathering in Idaho — defying government orders against large gatherings.

Bundy was one of the men behind the 41-day militia standoff at an Oregon wildlife refuge in 2016 and the Bundy Ranch standoff in 2014.

Idaho Governor Brad Little announced a stay-at-home order in the state on March 25, and Bundy says he will not comply. He has also been hosting meetings with dozens of like-minded people discussing ways to defy the order.

During one of the meetings that was filmed and posted to Facebook, Bundy said that he will personally help provide legal, political and physical defense to Idaho residents who are planning to ignore the governor’s order. 

“I will be there,” Bundy said. “I will bring as many people as we can. We will form a legal defense for you, a political defense for you, and we will also, if necessary, provide a physical defense for you, so that you can continue in your rights.”

Speaking to the New York Times, Bundy said that his group is looking for a venue to host a thousand person Easter service in his state.

“Please help us find this venue so those wanting to worship and honor God on this eventful day, can do so. We are willing to pay for the use of the building, if it is not donated,” Bundy wrote in a Facebook post. “We must stand together in times such as these.”

In a Facebook Live video about his Easter plans, Bundy said that he has been receiving hate mail and death threats over the event.

Bundy isn’t the only one in Idaho with major concerns about the shut down.

Idaho Representative Heather Scott posted a video to the Idaho Legislature’s website last week titled “The Virus that Tried to Kill the Constitution-COVID, The Constitution and Cause for Concern.”

“Our government is founded on the principle that each of us has inalienable rights that come from God, and that the government’s role is to protect those rights.  Some of our rights include life, liberty, the right to possess and protect our property (a business is a property), the right to speak freely, the right to defend ourselves, the right to freedom of assembly, and the right of equal protection.  Our government cannot take those rights, even in times of emergency,” Scott said.

Likewise, North Idaho Representative Pastor Tim Remington said that church gatherings act as an essential service and are necessary for some worshipers during times of uncertainty caused by coronavirus.

As of Tuesday, there had been 1,170 cases of the coronavirus in Idaho and 13 deaths.