When the right started forming militias back in the 1990s, following events like Ruby Ridge and Waco, the left got very upset about it. They demonized these militias and did everything they could to rip them apart, framing them not just as a threat to the nation, but every kind of bigot they could think of. It was enough to push many to reconsider joining such a group, even if none of them actually did anything except do some training in the woods somewhere.
And it’s definitely a part of why anti-gunners wanted to ban the AR-15 and similar rifles, particularly before the modern mass shooting epidemic.
