corruption
An ATF firearms case escalated into an 11-day standoff that left Vicki Weaver and 14-year-old Samuel Weaver dead — and the government later paid $3.1 million
Thirty-four years after Ruby Ridge, Gun Owners of America is reminding Americans how a federal firearms case ended with the deaths of Vicki Weaver and her 14-year-old son, Samuel.
GOA marked the anniversary on Aug. 21, the day a firefight between U.S. Marshals and the Weaver family began at the Idaho cabin.
The case grew from an ATF firearms investigation and an arrest warrant for Randy Weaver. The gunfight killed Deputy U.S. Marshal William Degan and Samuel Weaver.
The FBI then deployed its Hostage Rescue Team. On Aug. 22, FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi fired through the Weaver cabin’s doorway, killing Vicki Weaver and wounding Kevin Harris, according to the Justice Department inspector general.
The OIG later said the FBI’s original investigations were significantly flawed and found that the rules of engagement were defective. The OIG also criticized the final decision against imposing further discipline on personnel.
Randy Weaver and Harris were acquitted of the most serious federal charges. In 1995, the Justice Department paid the Weaver family $3.1 million to resolve civil claims stemming from the deaths, while expressly denying legal liability.
Ruby Ridge remains a warning against using the full force of the federal state where restraint, accountability, and human life should come first.
“Every year, we remember what happened on August 21, 1992, at Ruby Ridge.”
