# Three Percenters The most decentralized and resilient formation in the American militia ecosystem. Founded in 2008 by blogger **Mike Vanderboegh**, the Three Percenters (III%, 3%ers) take their name from the (historically dubious) claim that only 3% of American colonists took up arms against the British during the Revolution — framing militia membership as continuing the founding spirit. Unlike the hierarchical Oath Keepers or chapter-based Proud Boys, the Three Percenters operate as a **franchise ideology** rather than a single organization: hundreds of autonomous local groups across the U.S. and Canada use the name, the Roman numeral III logo, and the constitutionalist ideology without any centralized command structure. This makes them nearly impossible to dismantle through prosecutions — there is no single leader to indict, no national headquarters to raid. ## Ideology The Three Percenter ideology is straightforward: - The federal government has become tyrannical and violated the Constitution - Armed citizens are the last defense against tyranny - The [[Second Amendment]] exists specifically to enable armed resistance to government - A small committed minority (3%) can defeat a larger force through determination and guerrilla tactics - Members are "patriots" continuing the American revolutionary tradition This ideology overlaps significantly with mainstream conservative talking points about government overreach, gun rights, and constitutional originalism — which is precisely why the Three Percenters are effective recruiters. The distance from "the government is too big" to "we need to arm ourselves against the government" is bridged by the Three Percenter framework. ## Structure (or Lack Thereof) - **No national organization** — dozens of groups use the name independently - **Local chapters** form around geographic areas, often organized via Facebook (pre-deplatforming) and now [[Telegram]]/Signal - **Estimated membership:** Tens of thousands across all affiliated groups - **Founder Mike Vanderboegh** died in 2016, before the movement's peak involvement in political violence - **Canada designated the Three Percenters as a terrorist entity** (June 2021) — the first time a government officially classified the broader movement, though only the Canadian branch was designated ## Notable Incidents | Date | Incident | Outcome | |------|----------|---------| | **2016** | Members occupied Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (Oregon) alongside Bundy militia | Acquittals on conspiracy charges; one occupier killed by FBI | | **2020** | Three Percenter members involved in plot to kidnap Michigan Governor [[Gretchen Whitmer]] | Multiple convictions (mixed: some defendants convicted, some acquitted, FBI informant controversy) | | **Jan 2021** | Multiple Three Percenter-affiliated individuals participated in January 6 Capitol breach | Numerous convictions; some pardoned | | **2021-2022** | Members arrested for plotting to bomb Democratic Party headquarters (multiple states) | Convictions | | **Ongoing** | Three Percenter flags/symbols appear at armed protests, school board confrontations, election monitoring operations | Continued presence in political intimidation | ## The Whitmer Kidnapping Plot The most significant Three Percenter–connected incident before January 6. In October 2020, the FBI arrested 13 men for plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, put her on "trial" for "treason," and blow up a bridge to delay law enforcement response. Several defendants had Three Percenter connections. The case became legally controversial due to the **extensive FBI informant involvement** — at least 12 FBI informants and undercover agents were embedded in the group, raising questions about whether the FBI facilitated or merely observed the plot. Defense attorneys argued entrapment; prosecutors argued the defendants had genuine violent intent. The mixed verdicts (some convicted, some acquitted, some mistrials-then-convicted) reflected the jury's difficulty parsing this question. The Whitmer plot illustrates both the genuine threat posed by militia groups and the complicated role of FBI surveillance/infiltration in the militia ecosystem. ## The Resilience Problem The Three Percenters represent the most durable form of militia organization because: 1. **No leadership to prosecute:** Arresting local leaders doesn't affect other groups 2. **No membership rolls:** Affiliation is self-declared, making infiltration harder to translate into prosecutions 3. **Ideological simplicity:** The "3% who fight back" narrative is easy to adopt without formal recruitment 4. **Mainstream overlap:** Second Amendment culture, constitutionalism, and anti-government sentiment provide constant recruitment from the conservative mainstream 5. **Symbol virality:** The Roman numeral III is easy to display (tattoos, patches, bumper stickers, social media) without formal organizational membership This means that even if every identifiable Three Percenter group were dismantled, the ideology and symbolic framework would persist — because they're embedded in broader gun culture and conservative identity politics. ## See Also - [[Oath Keepers]] — Hierarchical patriot militia counterpart - [[Proud Boys]] — Street-fighting militia (different ideology but overlapping membership) - [[January 6 Capitol Attack]] — Members participated - [[Militias and Extremist Groups Ecosystem]] — Full militia landscape