Groups often described as white, Christian, working or middle-class Americans who believe their right to bear arms is threatened are known as what?

• A. Mafia
• B. Militias
• C. Organized crime
• D. Child abuse

Answer: (B)

Think of groups that cast themselves as civilian guardians of constitutional rights, especially the right to bear arms, and organize around that belief. These describe militias. The description—white, Christian, working- or middle-class Americans who feel their right to own weapons is under threat—fits the militia movement, which positions itself as citizen-soldiers defending gun rights against perceived government overreach. They often argue that the Second Amendment is at risk and that armed readiness is necessary to preserve liberty, which is the defining impulse behind militia groups.

Mafia and organized crime refer to criminal networks focused on illicit profit, not political activism about gun rights. Child abuse is a crime unrelated to the concept of organized, rights-focused groups.