The Sovereign Citizen Movement: A Growing Public Safety Risk and a Domestic Security Threat

The purpose of this thesis is to assess the Sovereign Citizen Movement and its potential impact on public safety and domestic security. Adherents to the sovereign citizen ideology support varying beliefs. However, all of its adherents assert that the United States federal, state, and local governments are illegitimate and thus do not possess the authority to exercise jurisdiction through the enforcement of laws, statutes, and/or judicial proceedings. Believing that they are separate, or "sovereign”, from the United States, adherents refuse to recognize and abide by orders of government authorities. The movement is largely comprised of pseudo-legal argument litigants and is generally non-violent. However, a number of its adherents engage in criminal activities, including violence, to defend their ideological beliefs. This thesis concludes that the adherents most likely to engage in a violent confrontation or escalation of force will be those individuals who are willing and possess the means to commit violence and contend that violence is both a justifiable and a necessary action. If violent actions are taken, they will most likely occur sporadically and stem from reactive aggression. Such incidents may be increasingly difficult to interdict and prevent and thus will pose the greatest threat to public safety and overall domestic security.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Defense and Strategic Studies

Year

2014

Author dc:creator

• Gardener, Jennifer Mary

Contributors dc:contributor

• Andrei Shoumikhin

• Sovereign Citizen
• Posse Comitatus
• Flesh-and-Blood Human Body
• Strawman
• Common law
• Pseudo-Legal Argument
• Defense and Security Studies

Statement dc:rights

• © Jennifer Mary Gardener

Repository record dc:identifier

https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1489

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-2490