But the image of militia members as mad bombers stuck. And eventually, the added scrutiny cost them membership. The groups, many of which offer paramilitary training to members to rebuff expected government attacks, first arose in the early 1990s as a reaction to fears that the federal government was about to confiscate firearms from its citizens. While many of the surviving militias now disclaim violence and terrorism, some of the more paranoid and extremist organizations still present a grave threat, experts said. During the past three years, several militia leaders have been charged in elaborate conspiracies to bomb government buildings and utilities, and to assassinate state and federal officials from judges to senators.
Experts urge caution about other areas of militia thinking, as well.
The commander of the Kentucky group has been invited to testify before state legislative committees, and two Kentucky state lawmakers spoke at a militia rally earlier this month. Other contacts between the government and the militia started just weeks after the Oklahoma City bombing. Freeh and then-Attorney General Janet Reno ordered agents in the FBI's 56 field offices to open lines of communication with militias, and meetings were held in many cities, including Indianapolis. FBI Special Agent Doug Garrison, who works in the Indianapolis office, said the meetings helped calm tensions. Garrison said the agency wants to keep lines of communication with the militias open as the clock ticks down for McVeigh.