Ammon Bundy (born 1975) was the leader of the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom rump militia that took over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on 2 January 2016 and the son of Cliven Bundy.
Biography[]
Ammon Bundy was born in 1975 in Bunkerville, Nevada, the son of Cliven Bundy. His father was a rancher who was involved in disputes with the United States government over them rounding up his cattle, and Ammon and his 12 siblings assisted his father in holding off the government siege of their household. Ammon Bundy became the owner of a car fleet, but he was later called a "terrorist" and criticized for his militant views for gun rights and anti-government rhetoric. On 2 January 2016 he became a major protest leader in his own right when he led the takeover of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon with the newly-formed "Citizens for Constitutional Freedom" rump militia, saying that he received a divine message from God to do so. On 26 January 2016, he was arrested while en route to a public speaking in Grant County, and LaVoy Finicum was killed while resisting the police; soon after, the occupation was ended. In 2022, he ran for Governor of Idaho as a right-wing independent after withdrawing from the Republican primary, but he placed in third with 17.2%, losing to incumbent Governor Brad Little.