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Jan. 26, 2024

804: Faith, Firearms & Freedom - One Man’s Vermont Standoff

A Vermont man fights an intense backlash from local officials and an alleged Ku Klux Klan group after building a legal firearms training facility on his rural property, serving as a startling case study in abuse of power hiding below the surface of a supposedly progressive state.

Have you ever wondered how far local governments will go to make an example out of someone they disagree with?

 

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In this eye-opening episode, host Brian Nichols talks to Daniel Banyai, a Vermont resident who built a firearms training facility on his rural property, only to become the target of an intense backlash from local officials, and even an alleged local Ku Klux Klan group.

We learn how Daniel purchased 30 acres of land in rural Vermont to open a small firearms education facility for safety training and practice. Though he went through proper permitting procedures, the town did not approve of having a gun range so closeby. A few years later, Daniel faced organized opposition from not only the town but also an extremist group called the "Warren Switch Clan," claiming to include local KKK members.

The discussion covers whether Vermont's pro-gun reputation is accurate, why Daniel refuses to back down despite endless legal battles, and what "winning" would look like in this case. Daniel explains how he realized in 2019 that the fight had become bigger than himself, after local minority groups who had experienced discrimination reached out to him for support.

Daniel emphasizes the importance of accountability and using his upcoming documentary to shine a light on the shocking attitudes and behaviors still present in parts of Vermont. Though he may never gain acceptance locally, Daniel hopes to make an example through nonviolent means like protests and constitutional activities.

Ultimately, it's a startling portrait of abuse of power and discrimination hiding below the surface of a supposedly progressive state. Tune in to hear the full story direct from Daniel and decide for yourself what should be done when local governments overstep in such dramatic fashion.

 

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Transcript

Brian Nichols  
When local governments have a vendetta, just how far will they go? In order to prove their point? Well, one local member of a community is going to tell us today and experience he's facing. So we got to talk about that instead of focusing on winning arguments. We're teaching the basic fundamentals of sales and marketing and how we can use them to win in the world of politics, teaching you how to meet people where they're at on the issues they care about. Welcome to The Brian Nichols Show. Well, hey there, folks, Brian Nichols, you're on The Brian Nichols Show. Thank you for joining us on of course, another on the mill episode. I am as always your humble host. Joining us live from our cardio miracle studios cardio miracle. I am a big, big fan of cardio miracle, but using them now for about six months. And I gotta tell you, the cardio miracle difference is real. So if you want to go ahead and take advantage of the secret ingredient, which is nitric oxide, why because nitric oxide helps boost your heart health from lowering your blood pressure, better sleep at night better pump in the gym, I experienced all three of those benefits and more. So if you want to join, you're surely plus that 10s of 1000s of other folks out there experiencing the cardio mirror with a difference for yourself. We'll head to Brian Nichols show.com, or go right here below in the show notes. You'll see the link right here, click the link, it'll bring you over to cardio miracle where you can get in order. But also do yourself a favor, use code TBNS at checkout 15% off your order. And by the way, you have nothing to lose, by the way, because there's not 100% money back guarantee. So head over to the Brian Nichols show.com forward slash heart again, link in the show notes cardio miracle, the best heart health supplement in the world. Alright, let's kick off today's episode of The Brian Nichols Show, which is yes, as always sponsored by amp America powered by amp America and today we are digging into Yes. How far will governments go when they want to prove a point? To discuss that and more joining us from Vermont, Daniel ban. Yay. Welcome to The Brian Nichols Show how you doing?

Daniel Banyai  
Hi, everyone. Thank you for having me. Appreciate it. Absolutely,

Brian Nichols  
Daniel, thank you for joining us here on The Brian Nichols Show. And I'm looking forward not so much to what you've experienced, but at least the chance for you to share your story. And unfortunately, Daniel, your story is a story that I think more and more folks, folks out there experienced. But unfortunately, folks don't have the platform, they don't have the microphone to share this story. I'm hoping today, you sharing your story will encourage others to reach out and try to share their stories. So let's dig into this. Daniel, you're facing years now at this point of some very, very focused, what I would say almost feels like an attack from your local government. How do we get to this point, Daniel, walk us through the story.

Daniel Banyai  
Great, thank you. So basically, you know, I find this piece of property in West pawlet Vermont, which you know, more people are getting advantageous into really looking at the dynamics of it, such as doing population, you know, satellite pictures, et cetera, et cetera, I'm in the middle of nowhere, right, I buy this 30 acres in the middle of literally nowhere, and decide to put in a training facility. You know, I'm a second amendment person. I love firearms, I love sharing the wealth of knowledge with firearms. So I build this, this little piece of heaven for firearms enthusiast of all, you know, stages, whether you're a beginner, a little bit more advanced or an expert, and the town doesn't like that, you know, the town folk doesn't like guns, they're very anti gun. They're ideologically not aligned with reality or normalcy. So therefore, that began my problems of existence in either functioning as a member of the community or cohabitating in the community.

Brian Nichols  
Interesting, Daniel, so it starts out you You seem like you're just trying to live your life right and you get to this point now where you become the target of your government to the point where as I was reading your your gifts and go it sounds like you're you're facing almost incessant attacks from the local local government, but also the local community. So kind of walk us through what you're experiencing and and frankly, how you got to where you are today.

Daniel Banyai  
Great. So what happened was, is that after I applied for my building permit and went through all the, you know, the political garbage people call it I mean, it's really not garbage. It's a process. It's eloquently designed for folks like myself and or because they're going to go into some type of venture a building or remodeling or constructing something, you know, there's a template, you know, there's, there's timelines, there's, there's benchmarks, there's inspections, there's different things that you need to do. In the process of building playgrounds, which I need to remind all of our viewers was just a building that is 30 feet by 20 feet, with no sewer, no water, no electricity. So basically just four walls and a roof. You went through this process, I paid for the process, the process was approved, it was stamped and I began to build and I built this, this small little building, registered under the state statute for licensing as an educational facility. I built this little building so people could do, you know, firearm safety briefs, we could do, you know, out of the inclement weather before we start firing and discharging fuck weapons. And, you know, I get building built. And a few years later, the town musters a group of very radical individuals, they're there, they're actually include Klux Klan members, some if not all of them, their official title on the record in the state of Vermont is called the Warren switch clan. And they began the opposition against my gun rights, my first amendment rights and my second amendment rights on my property.

Brian Nichols  
Wow. So let's kind of unpack that you're in Vermont. Vermont is more of a blue state, I'd say more of it is a blue state. Bernie Sanders is your senator. Correct? Yes. So obviously, there are some folks up there who are on board with that mentality. But I've always understood that Vermont was more of a a pro gun state. Is that not the case? Daniel? And I guess, to piggyback on that question, was that the reason alone, that so many folks in your community just looked at you as a threat?

Daniel Banyai  
No, you know, and I think, you know, with all due respect, how your ideological view was about is how they get people, Vermont paints a picture that they're, you know, pro gun Pro, this pro that, but they do that, in some form of trickery to get you to take Vermont as an option. They'll say, Hey, listen, if I'm gonna choose California, or I'm going to choose Vermont, people put on their chopping block, and then they debate and then they choose California or they choose somewhere else. What happens is, is that the folks that are either what they call like myself a Flatlander, or transient, or, you know, a displaced individual, you know, we fell into that, that trickery that you know, that we were duped, we drank that Kool Aid, you know, I looked just like you said, you know, I looked at the demographics of the state the laws in the state the layout of the land and said, Wow, that seems very welcoming. You know, they have a lot of propaganda and commentary about their pro this the Pro that and, you know, I chose the state, but why did I make a mistake, and some of my advocacy now is moving forward to help other people not make the mistakes that I've made, because this is literally costing me, you know, the majority of a healthy life to go down down the drains with this endless and ferocious legal battle. So

Brian Nichols  
why stick it out? Right. And I'm asking you, obviously, your life's there. Right? You're living in Vermont, but I mean, I just moved from, from New York to Philadelphia, from Philadelphia to Indiana. I'm just curious, you know, why, why stick it out? Daniel, why not jump over to a free state? Like I don't know, the Free State in New Hampshire with the Free State Project. And folks like that lady are much more on board with a to a lifestyle. Is that an option? Or is this more of a principal battle at this point?

Daniel Banyai  
You know, brother, that's the best questions. I've done interviews all throughout this country, and no one has asked me that chin, and I've long waited this very specific answer. That being about me 2019. And the reason why I say that is in 2019, the community references this postcard that I mailed out, I purchased at the time, the largest postcard I could possibly afford and mailed it out to the residents and constituencies of these folks that are doing this to me. Never did I feel or think the outcome of the data that that we aggregated from this right and basically in this postcard it in summary just outlined if you've ever been subjected to favoritism, nepotism, or corruption, and some of what I stand for, like letting people Jewish religions or the LGBTQ plus communities or Hispanics or people of color, I've allowed them to come to my land to shoot for free as any responsible American citizen Embrace anyone, as long as they're not prohibited from discharging a firearm. So I let those people come to my property. When I mailed this postcard out, the month later, the data that we aggregated was every protected group that that's feels or is subjected to some alienation, or some negation of the rights, contacted me and I knew 2019 Moving forward, it was no longer about me, it was about me fighting for the people, with the people. It's why I don't give up because Paulette Vermont's bragged since 1837, of this pure white, you know, radical, you know, cultural ethical cleansing. And I feel that I'm here for a reason, now with what I believe in fighting for our freedoms, our constitutional rights and civil liberties, to be upheld. That's why they've dug in so deep, and that's why I won't leave.

Brian Nichols  
Understood, well, let's talk about then what winning looks like. So, obviously, this has been something that has been very personal to you. And you mentioned taken up years of your life. And recently I know a lot of folks in the more right leaning political space have been talking about different boycotts and different different causes have been out there in the political arena. And then the question comes, Well, how do we know when we've won? What What does winning look like? And I think the most contemporary example of that is the the Bud Light boycott where now you see there's kind of the question, you know, okay, UFC bought Bud Light, or is it over? Are we done? Now we got Shawn Strickland going on with Bud Light banners behind him going on all sorts of fun rants and tirade. So, you know, I don't know what what does winning look like? And to you, Daniel, what does winning look like when it comes to the slight Ridge Farm situation here?

Daniel Banyai  
Great. So what winning looks like is really the accountability. So for example, I'm doing a documentary film with some award winning film folks. And you know, a lot of them don't necessarily align ideologically with what I do, or my beliefs are, or maybe some of them aren't necessarily pro gun. But what the monotone for me is the accountability. What does accountability look like is showing the world right? You know, I've I've, I've been ostracized from the community, like many others for such a long time. What is for me now the most important thing is to show the character and the totality of the of the people that are living in Paulette Vermont, because, yes, I understand it's good old boys, small town justice. And you know, it's no different than the backwoods of Mississippi or Alabama or Louisiana. But we're talking about Vermont here. We're talking about a very uncontrolled, radical tyrannical group of individuals that have boasted and gotten away with such egregious acts. So for me to show that accountability, like in 2019, you know, there's a YouTube video, I'm calling out, one of our town's Select Board members for going to Klu Klux Klan meetings against me and my Con Ed, guard Cleveland, showing these people's behaviors. While it may not amount to anything for the Vermonter because maybe they're a cohort, or collude with them. But the picture is to be magnified through a lens so that the country in the world can see, wow, this is super eccentric that these types of behaviors still or even exist in these communities that are negatively affecting the population negatively controlling, you know, diversity.

Brian Nichols  
Interesting. All right, Daniel, we're heading towards the town to the episode here. So what would you want as kind of a big bow to go on this episode here, like big takeaways for the audience? I guess, open platform. What are your thoughts there?

Daniel Banyai  
Right. So I'm asking people to focus on We the People, I asked people to get together. It doesn't necessarily have to be with what I'm aligning with. You know, I tell people all the time, you don't have to like me. You just have to respect me. I think if we get together and we rally and we protest, which is constitutionally protected activities, and bring the spotlight on to the actors, the people that are behaving these ways, we will shed more light on their behaviors so that more accountability can come down the road.

Brian Nichols  
Daniel Ben yay from Slate Ridge Farm. It's been a great conversation here on The Brian Nichols Show powered by amp America. We're going to go ahead and do final thoughts. I'll kick things off. It is imperative for us as we're going through and especially in 20 When he for we're recording here today, on the 25th of January and we're watching state by state starting to stand with Texas as things are getting a little weird here in the United States as the border crisis is really starting to unravel. And it requires us to stand up and speak our truth. You're talking about speaking your truth. Daniel, the when we stand up and we speak to folks, there's going to be folks who are going to scream and holler and throw things at us and call us all sorts of names. There's other folks who are listening. And there are those are the folks that we want to speak to the folks who are not you know, already going out with some preconceived notion but folks who are saying, yeah, things aren't right thing things aren't working, I'm experiencing hardships myself. And I know it's not just because, you know, this is the way things are supposed to be something is wrong. And to those people who are identifying that yes, there is a problem. Here we come the the folks with the solution. So that's my final thoughts for today. Daniel, what do you have for us on your end? Yes,

Daniel Banyai  
I mean, we you know, as Americans, if we help one another, and we assist one another and we embrace one another, we can figure out a way to agree to disagree, but still be able to sustain when there are some other influences that are trying to tear us apart.

Brian Nichols  
Daniel band yay from Slate Ridge Farm thank you for joining us and folks, if you got some value from today's episode, you know the drill go ahead and give it a share. When you do please tag it yours truly at B nickels liberty, you can find me over on Facebook as well as on Twitter x.com That is Daniel work unfroze. Go ahead and reach out to you if they want to continue the conversation.

Daniel Banyai  
You know, I have a couple of social media platforms. Slate rich slate rich farm. You know I sent you our gifts and so that money goes to our legal you know, our fund the lawyers that are helping advocate for our constitutional rights. And you know, I'm easily accessible I answer every email and every phone call because I care

Brian Nichols  
that a man awesome Daniel, thank you for joining us and folks, but with that being said, if there are folks be out there that you think needs to hear episodes like this here on the episode of The Brian Nichols Show with Daniel will please go ahead invite them and where can you invite them? Well, wherever it is you catch both your video as well as podcasting content for video, head over to your favorite recording app recording ever favorite video app that is YouTube rumble Twitter, as well as us Benson's Swan sovereign SOV r e n and also if you want to go ahead and check us out on podcasting apps, YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple podcast, podcast, attic, all those different apps and more just hit subscribe to The Brian Nichols Show. Download All unplayed episodes, we have well over 800 episodes in the archives with amazing conversations with phenomenal guests just like Daniel and I guarantee at least a handful will leave you educated, enlightened and informed. And one last reminder today's episode is powered by amp America please go ahead support the amazing folks over at amp America because they support us also support our sponsors, whether it is evil CBD blood of tyrants, liquid freedom, non alcoholic tea, which is super super good all by the way, it has a bunch of energy in it too. So definitely good to get you all jacked up in the morning. Plus, we have other great sponsors like BNC technology advisors, proud libertarian and more. So go ahead, give them some love because they give us some love. With that being said, that's

all we have for you today. Brian Nichols signing off here on The Brian Nichols Show for Daniel Ben. Yay. We'll see you next time. Thank you

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Daniel Banyai

Director

Living by a set of rules such as the constitution of the United States in Pawlet Vermont doesn’t exist.