A new investigation has uncovered disturbing details about the Socialist Rifle Association (SRA), a 10,000-member organization that blends far-left ideology, transgender activism, and firearms training.
The group, which openly embraces Marxist-Leninist symbolism, has been linked to at least four major crimes, including the firebombing of Tesla dealerships and an armed attack on federal officers.
The SRA issues membership cards adorned with Karl Marx and the slogan: “Any attempt to disarm workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary.” Members stockpile rifles, tactical gear, and gas masks while sharing videos of military-style drills. One popular emblem merges the transgender flag with an assault rifle and the phrase “defend equality.”
The group says it is preparing to defend against “fascists and Nazis.” But court documents show that it defines those terms broadly, even pointing to the largely unarmed January 6 Capitol protest as justification for training for war. In Utah, where Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated last week, the SRA runs a chapter advertising “inclusive firearms education” with rainbow targets and slogans like “women-friendly, BIPOC-friendly, queer-friendly.” Posters feature the abolitionist John Brown and quotes such as, “I will die fighting for this cause.”
Following Kirk’s assassination, SRA members mocked him online, while its official Reddit forum had previously circulated false claims that Kirk advocated lynching transgender individuals.
After his death, members even wished that the man who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump had “similar marksmanship.”
Although the SRA denied that accused shooter Tyler Robinson was a member, it refused to comment on whether his transgender-identifying partner was affiliated, citing “confidentiality policies.”
The SRA’s record of association with violence is extensive. In Texas, an SRA member, Benjamin Hanil Song, allegedly shot a police officer during an attack on an ICE facility. Two co-defendants who identified as transgender were charged with attempted murder of federal officers. Nine firearms were recovered from the home of one suspect.
In Las Vegas, Paul Hyon Kim allegedly set Teslas on fire and opened fire on dealerships — actions tied in court filings to his SRA membership. Prosecutors recovered rifles, Molotov cocktails, and radical literature from his home.
In Oregon, Adam Matthew Lansky, described as a “skilled and well-practiced” former SRA member, attacked a Tesla dealership with homemade incendiary devices and later returned with a suppressed semi-automatic rifle.
And in Florida, Daniel Alan Baker, who admitted SRA membership, was sentenced to 44 months in prison for violent threats, including calls to kill military officers and “hospitalize your local fascist.”
Founded in Kansas in 2019 by transgender activists Alex Tackett and Faye Ecklar, the group quickly expanded nationwide. A survey of members revealed a radical composition: 30% anarchist, 30% Marxist-Leninist or Maoist, 30% Democratic Socialist, and one-third identifying as LGBTQ. By 2020, the SRA claimed “10,000 comrades.”
Although the IRS revoked its nonprofit status in 2023 for failing to file returns, the organization remains credentialed in Kansas. Its leadership has included individuals operating under pseudonyms such as “Killashandra Killips” and “Whargoul.” Chapters across the country continue to host events such as “Queer Range Days” and “POC Range Days,” with one Maryland chapter advertising firearms training for Middle Eastern participants alongside images resembling Osama bin Laden.
The SRA, in its own words, opposes “the stripping away of gun rights for our trans comrades.” Yet the group’s history of violent rhetoric, its glorification of extremism, and its members’ repeated entanglement with terrorism-related crimes have raised urgent questions about why such a network continues to operate in the open.
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