Chris Broughton, the man who brought an assault rifle to an Obama event in Arizona earlier this week, and William Kostric, who protested outside a presidential forum in New Hampshire armed with a handgun last week, are both listed as “team members” of the Arizona chapter of the We The People organization.
The group is committed to “restoring Freedom and Constitutional Order through the exercise of popular sovereignty by all possible non-violent means.”
Kostric, whose residence on the chapter page is listed as Scottsdale, AZ, has reportedly moved to New Hampshire because he thought Arizona’s gun laws were becoming too strict.
Broughton, whose full name was reported today by the Arizona Republic, told the newspaper he “wasn’t seeking a personal spotlight by arming himself and strolling through crowds of Obama supporters.”
“I don’t want to be Joe-the-Plumber. … I’m hoping my 15 minutes are over,” said Broughton, who walked around outside the Obama health care event with a loaded AR-15 and a pistol, and took part in a pre-planned interview that was put on YouTube.
Ernest Hancock, who conducted the interview with Broughton at the event and is also tied to the 90s-era Viper Militia, later cited the Kostric episode in his explanation for the show of arms-bearing.
But the apparent connection between Kostric and Broughton was not previously known.
TPMmuckraker has reached out to both men seeking comment.
The We The People organization exists to fight a government that “continues to systematically plunder our People’s wealth, ignore constitutional checks and balances and destroy the last vestiges of Freedom.”
The group’s seeks to develop a “constituency committed to a nationwide, pro-active, non-violent, mass-movement, with the goal of achieving ordered Liberty through citizen vigilance and government accountability. As an organized force of ‘constitutional activists,’ the WTP Congress is organizing into ‘ward republics’ in every county, with a “Citizen Vigilance Center” in every State Capitol.” The centers’ architecture would be based on Monticello.
