In 1980 the Communist Party of Peru, known as the Shining Path, launched an insurgency against the government of Peru. This conflict followed Maoist tactics of guerrilla warfare. In 1983, Gagnon met with members of the Peruvian government to let them know about the difficulties in Cutivireni. While he was meeting with authorities in Lima, members of the Shining Path burned down the mission and threatened that they would kill him if he came back in May 1984. The Franciscans who were working with the Asháninka did not have a coordinated strategy to provide for their defense, but Gagnon was able to secure weapons from the Peruvian army, and approached the United States military for support as well.