Ammon Bundy, the Mormon rancher who famously led two armed standoffs against the feds in Nevada in 2014 and Oregon in 2016, vowed to “physically stand in defense” of Americans and their constitutional rights during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Bundy recently held a meeting with a few dozen people inside an old factory building north of Boise, Idaho, rejecting orders by Gov. Brad Little to avoid group gatherings and stay home to avoid spreading the virus, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Defending his First Amendment right to peacefully assemble, Mr. Bundy said he aims to create a team of people who will be ready to defend individuals and businesses against further government intervention.

“If it gets bad enough, and our rights are infringed upon enough, we can physically stand in defense in whatever way we need to,” Mr. Bundy said at the March 26 meeting, The Times reported. “But we hope we don’t have to get there.”

Mr. Bundy later told the paper that he plans to hold regular meetings to discuss ways to fight back against what he calls government overreach.

“I will be there, and I will bring as many people as I can,” he said at the meeting. “We will form a legal defense for you. We will perform an active political defense for you. And we will also, if necessary, provide a physical defense for you, so that you can continue in your rights.”