There are those who say that believing in the Constitution, that standing up for gun rights and liberty, or being a self-described Patriot makes you an extremist. Those like the left leaning civil rights organization theÂ Southern Poverty Law CenterÂ (SPLC).Â

In a recently released report titled The Year in Hate and Extremism, the SPLCÂ claims that extremist Patriot groups are at an all-time high, “sparked by the election of Americaâ€™s first black president.” The graph below is from the report, and shows the number of Patriot and Militia groups in the United States.

So how do they determine what a Patriot group is? TheÂ SPLCâ€™s definition is:

Generally, Patriot groups define themselves as opposed to the â€œNew World Order,â€ engage in groundless conspiracy theorizing, or advocate or adhere to extreme antigovernment doctrines. Antigovernment groups do not necessarily advocate or engage in violence or other criminal activities, though some have. Many warn of impending government violence or the need to prepare for a coming revolution. Many antigovernment groups are not racist.

So by their own admission, many of the groups they have labeled “extreme” are nonviolent, non-racist groups of people who do not advocate any criminal activity. But because they believe that the government should follow the Constitution, they are labeled “extreme”. Got it.

The report is worded in a somewhat confusing and contradictory manner. For example, they state that extremist Patriot groups are at an all-time high sparked by the election of President Obama, the first black President, thereby insinuating that racism is a root cause. Then they say that many of these groups are not racist. So which is it?

Why This Matters

My biggest problem with this report is the way that Patriots (those who love their country), strict Constitutionalists like Senator Rand Paul, and people who are pro-Second Amendment are lumped in with other true extremist groups. This clearly is a guilt by association tactic, and I find it despicable.

Personally, I don’t take the SPLC or their report very seriously. The problem is that there are those that do.

On March 5, SPLC President J. Richard Cohen wrote a letterÂ to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warning about the potential for violent retaliation from domestic terrorists. In that report you will read mention of James Yeager (though not by name), who recently made the news for all the wrong reasons by making a YouTube video threatening to “start killing people” if further gun control was enacted. James has since taken the video down and apologized for letting his temper get the better of him, but that ship has unfortunately sailed.

The point is that like it or not, we’re all being lumped into the same category, and that’s a very bad thing. When you engage in debates, whether in person or over the internet, don’t make threats. Remain calm. Use facts and logic, not emotion and insults, as hard as that is sometimes (believe me I know).

And unfortunately, we’re going to have to keep an eye on this issue.