The John Brown Gun Club (JBGC) refers to a loose network of leftist, anti-fascist, and community defense organizations across the United States that advocate for armed self-defense, gun rights from a progressive perspective, and opposition to far-right extremism, racism, and fascism.

Origins and History

The name draws inspiration from John Brown, the 19th-century abolitionist who led a violent raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 to spark a slave uprising against slavery.

The original John Brown Gun Club was founded around 2002–2004 in Lawrence, Kansas, as a small community defense group.

In 2016, it evolved into or inspired Redneck Revolt, a broader national network that emphasized anti-racist, anti-fascist armed community defense among working-class people (often reclaiming "redneck" as a term for rural, labor-oriented folks). Redneck Revolt disbanded in 2019, but many local chapters rebranded or continued independently as John Brown Gun Clubs.

Activities and Focus

These groups are decentralized — there is no single national organization, and chapters operate independently in places like Rhode Island, Puget Sound (Washington), Connecticut, Texas, and others.

Common activities include:

Firearms training and shooting range events.

Community self-defense and mutual aid (e.g., patrols, disaster relief support).

Countering far-right rallies or threats to marginalized communities (e.g., protecting protests or events from armed right-wing groups).

Promoting anti-capitalist, anti-racist, pro-worker values.

They often describe themselves as "community defense" rather than militias, focusing on protecting vulnerable people in an era of rising far-right armed presence.

Controversies and Perceptions

Some critics (including right-wing sources and extremism trackers) label them as far-left extremists or associate them with violence, citing incidents like a 2019 attack on an ICE facility in Tacoma by someone linked to a related group.

Supporters view them as a necessary counterbalance to armed right-wing militias and police violence.

They have faced scrutiny from law enforcement and political figures, with some states or bills referencing them in discussions of domestic extremism.

Overall, the John Brown Gun Club represents a growing trend of left-wing armed activism in response to perceived threats from the far right, emphasizing community protection over offensive action. Individual chapters vary in size and activity