In our interview, Arroyo took a bipartisan view on who he believes could instigate future conflict.
“Let’s say the left loses this race, it seems possible,” Arroyo said. “The radical left is very violent and can mobilize a lot of people to cause a lot of damage. Yes, if they are pushed too far, have all the guns, all the training, all the experience.” (The data do not support either-side approach; a report earlier this year of the National Institute of Justice found that far-right attacks continue to significantly outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism, including from the left).
But Arroyo said it’s “very likely” that if Trump loses, “the right wing, the Republican Party, some crazy people, will get together and start a shooting war.”
Hours earlier on Zoom, Arroyo spoke with members of other county preparedness groups around the country and told WIRED that everyone was thinking of one thing.
“The main concern right now is the potential for civil unrest as a result of the election,” Arroyo said. “Whoever wins, one side will be angry, and the other side, the far left, will be angrier, and they are famous for burning down cities when they don’t achieve their goals. . The right-wing conservative party in this country is not known for doing any such thing.” (For example, when WIRED interjected and asked about the Capitol riot, Arroyo brushed it off, claiming it was staged by the left).
Instead of getting involved, his advice to members is to calm down.
Arroyo also offers the possibility of “black swan” event — has become a popular delusion among conspiracy theorists. Black swan events are high-impact and unpredictable but in retrospect seem inevitable; Conspiracists now consider the term a cousin of “false flag” and define it as an extremist phenomenon orchestrated by nefarious forces to distract from a sinister plot. . “They want it [Trump] out so he can’t go back to the White House,” Arroyo said. “To create an environment in which they could declare martial law — create a scenario, some kind of black swan event to halt the election.”
Jim and Janet Arroyo moved from California to Yavapai County in the early 2000s to escape what they considered overly restrictive gun laws.
In Arizona, they found a state that was a much better fit for their gun needs.
“This is a big gun culture. Arizona has the largest number of privately owned machine guns in the country,” Arroyo boasts. “Yavapai County has the largest number of machine guns in the state of Arizona. That is our claim to fame.
(ONE 2021 report Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that Arizona did not even make the top 10 list of states for machine gun ownership, and ownership in California was significantly higher.)
But just as Arroyo was boasting about Arizona’s gun-friendly approach, the barman approached him and told him he wasn’t allowed to bring guns into the bar. Arroyo told him he didn’t drink, but the waiter insisted. “No problem,” Arroyo said and took the gun out to his jeep.
You can keep track of it all WIRED’s coverage of the 2024 presidential election is here.
