Ammon Bundy, the former Nevada rancher who twice led an armed standoff against federal agents and twice avoided a prison sentence, told BuzzFeed News he is prepared to launch another armed confrontation with the government if he feels it is necessary.

Bundy, the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, led the 40-day occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge in 2016 and helped organize the 2014 armed Nevada standoff against federal agents. Earlier this month, a federal judge threw out the case against the family, citing misconduct by the FBI and prosecutors who failed to share evidence with defense attorneys.

Despite spending two years behind bars awaiting the outcome of criminal trials for the armed standoffs, the Bundy family remained undeterred in their feud with the federal government, one that has gained thousands of supporters in the West.

"I'm not going to run from something like that, but then again, I never was looking for it," Bundy, 42, said Wednesday in a phone interview. "But if it is necessary again to limit and bring awareness to what our form of government is doing — and our governments in general are doing it — I think I would have to consider it again."

Bundy said he didn't know what might prompt such action, but "I hope I don't find out."

"I see myself defending my rights, defending my neighbor's rights and standing up for injustices, but I don't see myself going out and picking a fight," he said. "I hope I don't have to."

Bundy and his followers have argued the US government, which owns about half of the land in 11 western states, does not have the authority to manage large swaths of territory. The family's victories in court, experts said, have made them the face of the western lands movement and threatens to invigorate opposition to the federal government.

Western ranchers, politicians, and states' rights advocates have long sought local control of public land and opposed the expansion of national protections. The Bundy clan, however, has also drawn support from militias and radical anti-government groups. The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks extremist groups, has called Bundy and his supporters "extremists."

Bundy, now free and back home in Emmett, Idaho, said he plans to continue the fight over public lands. That fight, he said, could lead him to take part in yet another armed standoff, or perhaps seek public office.

"I would love to just go back and build my business up again and take care of my children, but man has never been able to do that. For some reason this mortal world has always been designed to make struggle," Bundy said. "If man doesn't stand, history proves that liberty is taken, and that man is not really happy."