Park Ranger Cites Militia Leader, Seizes His Gun

The Arizona Daily Star ^ | Monday, January 27, 2003 | Tim Steller

[Spiff]

Park Ranger Cites Militia Leader, Seizes His Gun

By Tim Steller
© 2003 Arizona Daily Star

A National Park Service ranger cited militia leader Chris Simcox Sunday for carrying a loaded weapon and operating without a permit at Coronado National Memorial in southeastern Arizona.

The chief ranger at the park south of Sierra Vista, Thane Weigand, said it appeared Simcox and William Dore were conducting a patrol of the border. "They were doing a special activity inside the park that's not sanctioned by the park," Weigand said.

Simcox, founder of the Tombstone group Civil Homeland Defense, has been conducting citizen patrols of the border area, but he said that's not what he was doing Sunday afternoon. He said he was simply hiking with Dore.

They were driving along Border Road when they came to a fence with a sign that said no vehicles were permitted, Simcox said. So they parked the van and walked past the fence along the road, not knowing the fence was the park boundary, Simcox said.

"Next thing I know, there's somebody waiting in the bushes for us," Simcox said.

It was a park ranger, who said she had been watching the pair, knew who they were and what they were up to, Simcox said. He and Dore were detained for about 3 1/2 hours, and some belongings were seized, Simcox said. Those belongings included a scanner, two two-way radios, his camera, a cell phone and his pistol.

Weigand said the charges against Simcox and Dore are misdemeanors.

[JudgemAll]

I'm glad to see the Park Service is paying so much attention to two citizens while illegals are probably streaming through the park and damaging the environment.

Crap, we can't investigate the "undocumented" (or rather the uncooperating), but we can snoop around regular US citizens and cite them around...

[Poohbah]

I think you covered all potential bases...

[Boot Hill]

Couldn't believe they'd post something like that.

--Boot Hill

[Poohbah]

Are you advocating the murder of men and women who work for the federal government?

Naw, my guess that he's hoping to find someone on Free Republic dumb enough to enter into a "conspiracy" to do so. He probably gets thirty pieces of silver a head.

[Poohbah]

I could. Some folks don't understand that this ain't USENET. Some folks don't understand that JimRob can (and does) cooperate with the Feds re: solicitation or advocacy of "vey series" felonies.

The fact that some folks never seem to get into real trouble IRL from their FR posts indicates to me that they're paid informants drumming up a little business.

[hardhead]

Just another segment of the national police force which also includes: FBI, secret service, postal inspectors, US marshals, IRS (armed), etc., etc.

[Boot Hill]

It is soooo easy for the feds (hell, anyone) to track down who a poster is and where he lives. It doesn't take a genius to understand the technology and how to do it.

--Boot Hill

[Poohbah]

And the lack of consequences is either (a) evidence that the Feds are NOT monitoring the Internet very much, or (b) that the monitors' reports on the knucklehead caucus are getting PLONKED! because The Powers That Be know what the knuckleheads are really up to.

[stuartcr]

That's a lot of stuff to be carrying on a hike, I usually just carry a camera, some water, and maybe some granola.

[Boot Hill]

or (c), there are so many monitors and so few real targets that most of their reports end up being about other monitors.

--Boot Hill

[RKV]

Since I live in the Peoples' Republic of Kaliforniastan I have every reason to be paranoid. The state government here is totally disconnected from the US Constitution, at least in any sense that reasonable people would recognize. I also happen to have friends who were sent to concentration camps here in the US during WWII - they were American born citizens of Japanese ancestry. They lost their businesses and homes and got zip compensation. I know what can happen here. Lots of other examples - try this one http://www.fear.org/scott.html. In general, I think Americans shouldn't give powers to government that they wouldn't want a Bill Clinton to have, since we managed to elect that crook twice.

[Chemist_Geek]

And in the present case, that means where crossing a property line can incur certain statutory penalties, those boundaries must be clearly marked.

From the article:

So they parked the van and walked past the fence along the road, not knowing the fence was the park boundary, Simcox said.

What is unclear about a fence, fer chrissake? Only the obtuse and unreasonable men would think that a fence didn't mark a property line.

I fully support what the armed private border patrol is doing in Arizona and I support their efforts to overcome government harassment and opposition to their exercise of their constitutional rights.

You are encouraging anarchy and the destruction of rights.

[Wally Cleaver]

Fred--you don't even want to go down that lane with a Yooper--better yet if you want to get an ear full from a Yooper--talk to them about the DNR.

[duk]

Sorry for the late post.
It's not a matter of hate but of trust. Some of the things that have been documented are beyond belief. They treat the citizens as if the parks are not ours! Picking up a pine cone or flowers will get you a warning at the least. A snow mobile in their park will get you a ticket(damaging the enviroment). As big as Superior is, a jet ski within a 1/4 mile of the park shoreline is a no no.
The police are not any better. With a population of 10K we have in Munising a city police force, sheriff force, and the state police post. All do their job by writing plenty of speeding tickets, dog on the loose, no helment for the snowmobilers, you know, all that real high tech stuff they learned in college and the police academy. Oh, and lets not forget the ticket I got for being parked on the street during the snow parking ban. There was no snow on the road, or ground or even in the forcast.
TRUST
DISCERNMENT
DISCRETION
I don't see it any more.

[Boot Hill]

Chemist_Geek suggests:   "What is unclear about a fence...Only the obtuse and unreasonable men would think that a fence didn't mark a property line."

Ignoring for the moment that fences exist for reasons other than demarcating property lines, the issue in this case is whether Mr. Simcox was specifically informed by sign that he was entering National Park property, where possession of firearms was restricted by law. The requirement for such explicit notice in found both in statute and case law all the way to the Supreme Court.

Chemist_Geek suggests:   "You are encouraging anarchy and the destruction of rights."

I see my support as encouraging precisely the opposite.

--Boot Hill

[Wally Cleaver]

Also, the DNR out of control in the UP. I was fishing with my son (then 10 years old) and dad on a a lake a couple years ago--and sure enough the DNR is hiding out in the woodline (which happened to be my dads property) After they watched my son bring in a fish--they came flying across the lake (this happened to be a no wake) with their 100+ hp motor and boat--and put us through interrogation and attempted to cite us for having improper life preservers in the boat. My dad--the crusty old guy he is--then threatened to make a citizens arrest on the DNR for illegal trespassing on his land... and report them for breaking the no wake law on the lake and told them they would not live to see another day if he ever saw them on his land again.

Never did a citation for "defective" life preservers.

[BenR2]

I'm glad to see the Park Service is paying so much attention to two citizens while illegals are probably streaming through the park and damaging the environment.

Shout this from the mountain tops!

[BenR2]

My prediction is that Bush, through Ashcroft, will soon start cracking down on these citizen patrols that dare to try to protect the border. The ranchers will be next.

I have said elsewhere, and will say it again here: IF you are correct (and no doubt you are), then Bush will NOT be re-elected.

A third-party crusader for border-security will "Ross Perot" the DemonRats back into power -- and Bush II (like Bush I), will only have himself to blame!

[Cultural Jihad]

I'm glad to see the Park Service is paying so much attention to two citizens while illegals are probably streaming through the park and damaging the environment.

The armed mob looking for a potentially deadly fight does seem to be enabling them in that regard.

[BenR2]

Being given a ticket for that violation is not being under arrest.

Technically, I believe it is.