Law enforcement seized a former Marine’s firearms in August after a series of threats were made against Antifa activists. However, reports of the incident largely misrepresent what triggered the risk protection order.
Shane Kohfield, a 32-year-old former Marine and right-wing activist, surrendered five firearms after the FBI executed Oregon’s new “red flag” law. The order was executed days after Kohfield brought weapons to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s home while participating in a protest.
Using a loudspeaker, Kohfield warned at the time that “if Antifa gets to the point where they start killing us, I’m going to kill them next … I’d slaughter them.” The threat led the FBI’s Joint Terrorist Task Force (JTTF) to respond within days and temporarily confiscate Kohfield’s weapons.
The incident made headlines, as the government seemingly confiscated Kohfield’s property with no due process nor criminal charge for what many argued was exercising free speech.
However, Kohfield penned an email to Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) months earlier that aired his frustration with the violent left-wing group. The email, titled “Savagery,” did not request casework assistance or personal help, but rather detailed plans to “systematically execute every member of Antifa” unless actions are taken against them.
Accordingly, Crenshaw’s office staff swiftly alerted the U.S. Capitol Police of the correspondence and, days later, the FBI conducted what would be its first interview in a series of threat assessments over the subsequent few months.
“When my office received the letter from this individual, we followed standard House protocol and shared it with U.S. Capitol Police,” Crenshaw told The Daily Wire. “It would have been impossible for my office to sit idly on a threat that was this serious and imminent, regardless of the person who wrote it, their background or the weapons they may possess.”
In the letter, which was obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire, Kohfield explained to Crenshaw that he had attended the #HimToo rally in downtown Portland in November 2017. The rally, which was counter-protested by hundreds of left-wing activists, erupted into chaos as protesters allegedly lit fireworks, flares, and smoke bombs, threw bottles, and sprayed pepper spray.
The bloody brawl ended in six arrests, but Kohfield contended that Antifa consistently had the upper hand, leaving what he described as no option but to escalate the situation.
“The police and mayor of Portland, Oregon were completely complicit in the savage attacks because of their policy to disarm conservatives,” he wrote. “My friend and I accused the mayor of Portland of treason because he is intentionally and knowingly putting policies into effect that are causing citizens of the United States to literally be hunted like animals.”
Equating Antifa’s treatment of conservatives in Portland to the gore-filled fictional film “The Purge,” Kohfield argued that United States Constitution allows for him to “fix the problem” if the government will not.
“I can legally declare war on Antifa,” he wrote, adding that he wouldn’t even be charged with manslaughter for those he killed.
Kohfield also demanded that Crenshaw pursue legislative action to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization and have Congress charge any individual who wears a mask with committing treason against the United States.
“You will handle Antifa or the veterans will,” Kohfield threatened. “And veterans will hunt them like animals like they do to the citizens of the United States of America.”
He went on to explain how the supposed “veterans” would compile names of Antifa members through social media forums and collect personal information through connections at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Kohfield threatened that the group of “veterans” would then target each of the members’ homes and “systematically execute every member of Antifa” until they have “achieved genocide.”
Kohfield attempted to rationalize the murderous plan by claiming that there’s no feasible alternative to killing since he realistically wouldn’t be able to arrest all of the members of Antifa. “I’m going to let Congress do its job or I have no choice but to go door to door and kill every single one of them,” he declared.
Kohfield further stated that he believed Antifa was preparing to “declare war” on him but that he is in the process of putting everything in place for when he executes his plot to retaliate.
Kohfield told Crenshaw that as a member of Congress, the freshman lawmaker was the only person he could trust with the letter, but also cautioned him against taking any action, boasting that arresting or killing him “would really kick my recruitment of veterans into overdrive.”
Based on the court order, Kohfield was committed to a veterans hospital for 20 days and prohibited from participating in subsequent protests while in Portland.
Following his release, Kohfield — who had served two tours of duty in Iraq — told local press that he never intended to harm anyone, but that he understood why law enforcement was alarmed.
“I looked unhinged,” Kohfield told the Oregonian. “I looked dangerous and have the training to be dangerous.”
Crenshaw confirmed to The Daily Wire that his office has not received any other correspondence from Kohfield and that the Capitol Police were not aware of any other lawmakers who received messages either.
“I’m grateful every House office has a resource for threats like these so we can ensure our communities stay safe,” Crenshaw added.