•    "Three years ago, white supremacists affiliated with paramilitary organizations stormed the U.S. Capitol, shattering windows, walls, and the families of five U.S. Capitol police officers,” said Senator Markey. “Private paramilitary actors, such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, pose a serious threat to democracy and the rule of law, and we must create new prohibitions on their unauthorized activities that interfere with the exercise of people’s constitutional rights. The forces of bigotry, hatred, and violent extremism must be stopped for the sake of our democracy. " Source: Sen. Ed Markey (Democrat, Massachusetts)

•    "Patrolling neighborhoods, impeding law enforcement and storming the U.S. Capitol, private paramilitary groups like the Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters and the Proud Boys are using political violence to intimidate our people and threaten democratic government and the rule of law,” said Congressman Raskin. “Our legislation makes the obvious but essential clarification that these domestic extremists’ paramilitary operations are in no way protected by our Constitution. I’m grateful to Senator Markey for his partnership on this critical effort to protect the rule of law, deter insurrection and defend our democracy." Source: Rep. Jamie Raskin (Democrat, Maryland, District 8)

•    "Since Charlottesville’s Unite the Right rally in 2017, we’ve increasingly seen heavily armed private paramilitary organizations seek to intimidate Americans from exercising constitutional rights and to interfere with government operations. Whether unlawfully usurping the authority of law enforcement officials or deploying paramilitary tactics to attack statehouses or the U S. Capitol, private paramilitary actors are a threat to our democracy. The evolution and spread of the paramilitary threat across our nation, where local governments and vulnerable communities have been forced to contend with armed vigilantes falsely claiming that their activities are protected by the First and Second Amendments, requires a federal response. If enacted, the PPPA will provide tools necessary to deter and prevent paramilitary efforts to undercut our democratic processes and the free exercise of constitutional rights." Source: Mary McCord (Executive Director, Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at the Georgetown University Law Center)