[Bob Ireland]

***Due to his ongoing refusal to snitch, Weaver was then arrested in January 1991, on illegal firearms sales charges. These charges stemmed from Weaver’s earlier “sale” of two shortened shotguns to Faderley, the undercover ATF agent – a sale which the feds later admitted constituted illegal entrapment***

Thanks for the more complete informative post. Randy Weaver was a patriotic veteran but susceptible to his wife's increasingly radical religious views. Apparently they did a bit of stealing and failing to meet some personal obligations, but it was generally petty stuff.

Unquestionably Weaver was entrapped by an undercover govt agent. I mentioned Ron Noble who was deeply involved in the USGvt's heavy handed enforcement against the far right groups. After Waco many somewhat more acceptable patriots agreed they would not allow another enforcement massacre. That pledge became manifested when armed govt agents were sent against the Bundy's (I forget many of the details.) The govt backed off there. There were some earlier potential incidents.

Whatever the dynamics of the previous, IMO there is an (unspoken?) understanding between the USGvt and the rightist patriot groups that govt enforcement operations should be proportional to the threat and carefully executed. The problem with that is the intrusion of the media. The media was very instrumental in motivating the excesses at Ruby Ridge and Waco.

[eldoradude]

Thanks for the more complete informative post. Randy Weaver was a patriotic veteran but susceptible to his wife's increasingly radical religious views. Apparently they did a bit of stealing and failing to meet some personal obligations, but it was generally petty stuff.

The stealing etc was unproven allegations by a neighbor, and he was never convicted of such. If you want to read more there is his testimony to the senate - September 6, 1995

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/weaver/randytestimony.html

[pgkdan]

bkmk